


The Boss

by PrinceofDarkness15



Category: Star Wars
Genre: CEO Ben Solo, Dominant Kylo Ren, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, Loss of Virginity, Office Sex, Possessive Kylo Ren, adding tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:48:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25070395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceofDarkness15/pseuds/PrinceofDarkness15
Summary: Kylo Ren CEO of Manhattan Records doesn't do relationships, it's not built in him or so he thinks. Yet, his dominant nature becomes tested when a certain brunette comes into his world and throws it for a loop
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 7
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

_Chapter One_

_Kylo Ren_  
  


“As always, the room is paid through the weekend.” I said as I reached for my suit jacket. “You’re more than welcomed to stay, and I encourage you to do so as this will be your last opportunity.” 

Jyn straightened, her robe opening far enough for me to see one swollen nipple. “What the hell does that even mean?” 

“It means tonight was our _swan song_ ,” I said evenly. “It means it was our final scene.” 

“I know what _swan song_ means, idiot,” she snapped, her expression twisting into something ugly. “What I’m asking is what the hell do you think you’re doing?

I raised an eyebrow at her question. Her anger towards me wasn’t all that surprising. One of the things that had appealed to me about Jyn early on was seeing someone with such a temper submitting to me, even when I infuriated her. It has been exciting to me at first, I admit. At present, however, it was just downright annoying. 

“I am ending this arrangement between us,” I said. “I was trying to be polite about it, but since you seem determined to make me but blunt, I will. It’s over. We’re done.” 

“No.” She stood up from the edge of the bed, not appearing to notice that her robe was hanging open, exposing the red lines the robes had made, the bruised flesh from the clamps. “You don’t end this until we both say that we’re done!” 

I slowly turned to face her, sliding my hands into my pockets do keep the image of the calm, unruffled Don. “The arrangement was, either one of us could end things at any point. This is me, ending the arrangement between us. Now. Tonight.” 

She shook her head, cheeks coloring even as the finger she pointed at me shook. “No. No! After all the shit that I’ve done for you and let you do to me, you fucking owe me, Ren! That’s what this whole arrangement has been about, as sole! I play your little fuck-toy games and you get me what I want!”

I inhaled slowly and then let out the breath just as lowly. This had happened to me before, but it didn't make it any more pleasant. They _always_ wanted more.

"You understood exactly what this was going in when you agreed to it, Jyn. We fucked, and you enjoyed it because you like men fawning all over you. Wasn't that your biggest fantasy tonight? To have more than one man fuck you while I watched? So that I could see how they all want you?"

"Fuck you, Ren!"

She had tears in her eyes now, but they weren't because she was hurt by my words. She was furious. Or she was trying to manipulate me. Either one didn't do anything but confirm that I was making the right choice by leaving.

"It's not my fault that you got more involved than you should have," I started towards the door. "You knew the score going into this arrangement. You got great sex and got to be seen on my arm at big events, meet all of my connections. I was supposed to get a sub without all the drama. If anyone should be pissed off here, it's me."

A glass hit the wall next to the door, shattering all over the carpet. I knew that was my cue to leave before she did any more damage to the room or to herself.

"Don't you dare walk away from me, you fucking bastard!"

I paused but didn't turn around. I kept my voice calm, even though I was seething with rage inside. She was going too far. "Jyn, I will call security to throw you out on your ass if you can't calm down and behave like an adult."

"You're a real son of a bitch, you know that?!"

"Yes, well, you're a bitch, a cunt-hungry starving bitch, so I guess we're about even."

I left before she could throw something else at me. I'd pay for the damages that'd happened before I walked out, but if she trashed the rest of the hotel room, I'd have her ass arrested and held accountable for the rest of it. She could be pissed at me all she wanted, but she was acting like a spoiled, little child.

If I'd have known she'd come with that much drama, I wouldn't even have bothered with our little arrangement to begin with. To be honest, the sex hadn't been all _that_ good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Leave me comments below and tell me what you think as the story goes, I would love your input!


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

_Rey Kenobi_

"Dammit!" I spun around, socks slipping on the linoleum floor as I attempted to stop my forward momentum. I caught myself on the edge of the counter and managed to yank open the microwave door before disaster struck. 

I removed the fork from the plastic bowl of popcorn and tossed it carelessly into the sink. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment. That really could have been disastrous, but the worst part was, it wasn't the first time I'd nearly blown up my microwave because I'd forgotten to remove a metal utensil from something that I was heating up.

I didn't even have a good excuse this time. Other times I'd done stuff this absent-minded, I'd at least been able to claim that I had something more important on my mind.

A doctor's trip with my Mom. A final that I wasn't sure I could pass. A job interview....something. Tonight, however, I'd been dancing around my kitchen to a song I'd heard while at work. It was a brand-new single from Dua Lipa, and it's been playing all over the place. I generally only liked her older stuff, back when she'd first been signed, but this felt more like that rather than her last album. 

I may only have been a runner at Manhattan Records when "Don't Call Me Up" had been released, but even I'd known how unhappy everyone had been about it's performance. 

I shook my popcorn bowl, even though the butter and salt hadn't had much time to settle, then double-checked to make sure that I hadn't left anything else behind before turning the microwave back on. While I waited on my snack, I washed the fork, dried it, and put it away, my thoughts wandering as I did the mundane task.

What was it about "Don't Call Me Up" that made it so much more better than anything Dua Lipa had done the last time? One of the many things I enjoyed about working at Manhattan Records was getting to better understand the intricacies of how it all worked.

Not only how an album came together, but all of the different roles people played in the process. Being in the A&R department---Artists and Repertoire---I would eventually get to see all sorts of aspects in the music industry as I continued my rise within the company. As much as I liked my work, I wasn't the sort of person who took it home with me, but this song just wouldn't get out of my head, which made it hard to stop thinking about work.

I'd even had music streaming while I'd cleaned today, but I'd caught myself humming the song in the shower. The microwave dinged, and I retrieved my popcorn, carrying in the short distance to the other side of the room where my second-hand couch sat across from a small, but more serviceable, television.

My place wasn't big, and my things definitely weren't new, but I didn't mind.

I was twenty-three years old, and I had my own apartment. I'd started as an intern at Manhattan Records when I was barely twenty, moved up to runner shortly after I graduated from NYU, and three months ago, I'd gotten a promotion. You could say, life was good.

It hadn't always been that way, but if I'd learned anything, it'd been to appreciate what I had when I had it. I pulled up my feet under me, wrapped my arm around my popcorn bowl, and picked up my remote.

I'd been waiting all week to binge watch the second season of my newest guilty pleasure. A fictional show about a reality show. I'd stumbled on the first season a couple of weeks ago and finished it up last Sunday afternoon, but this past week had been to busy for me to be able to watch more than one episode or two at night, so I'd decided to give myself a little reward for hard work well done and spend my Saturday night watching TV while snacking to my heart's content.

I shifted, frowning as I couldn't get quite comfortable. Something was lumpy against the middle of my back, and it took me a moment to realize it was my hair.

It hung nearly to my waist, and I hadn't felt like taking the time to completely dry it after my shower, which meant the only way to keep it from becoming a tangled mess was to braid it.

The door across the hall suddenly slammed, and I heard a burst of laughter as my neighbors headed out for the night. I'd lived here for a couple of months and had met them a day or two after I'd moved in. Finn and Poe. Nice guys. About my age and fellow NYU graduates. 

They hadn't been in the communications program, but we'd shared a couple of the same teachers, though not at the same time.

We'd talked a few times, whenever we happened to run into each other in the hall or at the mailboxes. Once, I'd been downstairs doing my laundry, and they'd come down and spent an hour with me. Finn was a flirt, but he never took things too far, and I definitely wasn't Poe's type considering he was gay. 

I hadn't worried about moving to Lower Manhattan on my own, but my Mom hadn't been too thrilled about the idea. When I told her about Finn and Poe, she'd felt much better. Though, I may have exaggerated my so called "friendship" with them, but if it made her worry less, the little white lie was worth it.

Besides, I had a feeling that they were the sort of neighbors who'd at least keep an eye out for anything suspicious. We'd had a couple of those in the Staten Island neighborhood where I'd grown up as a kid. 

As if the thought of her had prompted it, Mom's text tone went off on my phone. I went to my favorite streaming app, then leaned forward to pick up my phone.

_8:40PM_

_Did you see last night's episode of Murder Mysteries? I think that suspect looks like Lauren Lopez's uncle, Mauro!_

_CK_

I laughed and shook my head. Mom's newest obsession was anything about unsolved murders. She was totally convinced that she was going to solve on of the cold cases, and every so often, she'd send me a text with her thoughts on a specific episode. I watched them, sometimes I didn't, but always listened to her theories. She was never actually serious, but it was a thing of ours.

We'd always made a point of having something that we could talk about that had nothing to do with real life. It had been our way of dealing with things when they'd gotten bad, and we'd continued it even as life had gotten better.

Last year, we'd discussed bird watching. The year before, it'd been musicals. Whenever the Olympic year came around, we'd share tidbits about athletes and countries and different cultures. 

_8:42PM_

_Was uncle Mauro the one with the limp or the one who was missing the tip of his pinky finger?_

_RK_

Two mouthfuls of popcorn later, Mom response came though--typical. At this rate, I'd never get any episodes in before midnight. 

_8:43PM_

_Dammit! I guess that would discount him since they had a set fill of fingerprints and he was reported running away from the scene_

_CK_

I started the first episode, fully aware that I would probably continued to have minor interruptions for the next couple of hours until Mom decided it was time for her to go to bed. I wouldn't trade it for the world, though.

We still lived in the same city, but I didn't go home to visit as much as I wanted. This was a good way for me to stay in touch witb her as my schedule grew busier and busier. I never wanted to be too busy for her. She'd never been too busy for me, no matter what was going on in the rest of her life. I was always her top priority, and she'd always be mine.

_8:50PM_

_Anything excited happening at work? Possible serial killers? Romantic possibilities? Hopefully not the same person_

_CK_

I coughed as a dry bit of popcorn got stuck in my throat. Leave it to my Mom to bring up dating life--or lack thereof---in such a creative way.

* * *

Artists and Repertoire in the music industry referred to the department that was responsible for the broad concepts of talent scouting and overseeing artistic development. At least, that was how it'd been explained to me when I'd first applied for an internship at Manhattan Records. 

I had a degree in communications, but that had covered so many different possibilities that it'd been impossible to remember all of the definitions for every single department in ever field.

When I'd first applied to be an intern, I hadn't known where I wanted to work, but as a runner, I'd had the chance to see for myself who did what and how and where. After six months or so, I'd been moved to run primarily for A&R, and that's how I'd decided this was where I was meant to be.

At least, that was the story I kept telling myself. Not because I dislike my job. I liked it well enough. And I was pretty good at it, too. More than pretty good, actually, as I discovered three months ago when I'd gotten a promotion from runner to personal assistant. 

Speaking of which......

I held out a cup of salted caramel mocha coffee as the elevator door opened, and my boss stepped out. Luke Skywalker had been with Manhattan Records almost since the beginning, even though he barely looked old enough to vote---just kidding, he was ancient. 

"Good morning," I said as I fell into step with him. "I put your mail on your desk, but most of it looks like junk. I also confirmed your first appointment of the day and will start working my way through the rest of your schedule first thing."

"You know, Miss Kenobi, you aren't required to get me coffee each morning," he said with a smile. "I do appreciate it, don't get me wrong, but it's really not necessary."

I shrugged. "I'd figured if I was already stopping to get my own, I might as well pick up yours and Ms. Holdo's while I'm there. No point in either of you needing to stop on your way in or send Rose or me out again."

"Well, thank you."

One of the things I appreciated the most about working under Mr. Skywalker and Ms. Holdo was how well they managed to balance having a department that was both professional and casual. They didn't always take the time to thank us for doing something that was our actual job, but any time we went above and beyond, they made a point to express their gratitude.

"There's a voicemail about the event this weekend. I believe it's Armitage Hux inquiring about perks for Dua Lipa's appearance."

A shadow passed across Mr. Skywalker's usually clear blue eyes. It wasn't there long, but it was enough for me to know that he wasn't fond of one of Manhattan Record's biggest stars. I'd heard conflicting stories about Hux over the past couple of years, and there'd been all sorts of stories about him since the band had first appeared on the scene.

"Tell me, was he sober?"

I didn't answer right away, thinking carefully about the message I'd listened to. I didn't want to make an assumption and possibly cause an issue between the company and Dua Lipa's manager. Mr. Skywalker didn't rush me, which I appreciated.

He and Ms. Holdo didn't ask rhetorical questions, and they didn't ask questions they didn't want answers to. If anything, they seemed to appreciate it when we took the time to come up with a clear and honest answer.

"It was rather hard to tell," I said finally. "He wasn't slurring his words, and his statements were understandable, but I know that people who are used to drinking a lot don't always have the same noticeable signs of being drunk that most people think of."

"True," Mr. Skywalker said as I followed him into his office. He sat down behind his desk and sighed. "And Hux is no stranger to alcohol."

"I've....guess as much."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, and for once, he actually looked like he was in his late sixties. "So, what did he want?"

I'd listen to the message at least three times to get it all, but I was confident I'd managed to record everything. I pulled out my notebook and opened to the page for today. I transcribed notes into my phone at the end of every day, but I liked to have a hard copy too, especially if I was trying to take notes while I was on the phone. I found it simpler to do it that way, 

"The event this weekend is to promote the summer releases and concert tours," I said. I'd double-checked that Hux had been correct about the point of event. "He wants Dua Lipa to have the first announcement, both for the release and the tour."

Mr. Skywalker nodded. "All right. What else?"

"He also wants her to have a private green room where they go whenever she "gets bored'". It might've been a little immature of me to include the air quotes, but I wasn't going to claim those words as my own. And I intended to continue making sure that my boss knew what I had and hadn't said. "In said green room, he wants a specific selection of alcoholic beverages, of which I have a list, enough for each of 'his boys" to 'chill.' He's also asking for ten 'hot bitches' to be dancing in the room at all times."

Skywalker leaned forward, his eyes closed and rubbed his temples. "He doe have a fine way with words, doesn't he?" He didn't even bother to hide his sarcasm.

"Quite the gentlemen." The words popped out of my mouth before I could think about the wisdom of actually saying them. "Sorry."

Skywalker shook his head. "Don't worry about it. What else was there?"

"He wants Starburst Jellybeans, but only the yellow and green ones."

"He has this weird thing about red dye," Skywalker said. "Not an allergy. He just hates it."

I nodded. "I actually remember reading about that a few years ago."

"You're a Dup Lip fan, then?"

I held up a hand and wiggled it back and forth. "If I'm going to be completely honest, I liked most of her first album, but only a song or two off every album since."

One side of Skywalker's mouth tipped up in a half-smile. "She still manages to sell out stadiums all over the country."

I shrugged. "I didn't say _other_ people didn't still like her music."

"Good point." Skywalker leaned back. "Continue. Because I know there's more. With _him,_ there usually is."

I blew out a breath. "Sadly, you're right. There's also a list of half a dozen other snacks, including mini sliders, burritos, and organic kale."

"The new bass player for her band only eats organic," Skywalker explained. "I'm actually a little surprised that Hux even knows something like that."

I hesitated, then said, "I'm pretty sure the new organic bass plater has a couple friends that Hux likes a lot."

"Are we talking female friends we'll probably have to add the backstage pass list until Hux gets tired of them, or either gender friends who are supplying Lipa with things that are less than legal?"

I lifted a shoulder. "I think the former, but it might be latter."

Skywalker nodded. "All right. I'll make sure that I let Ren know about that possible little problem."

Ren. That would be Kylo Ren. The CEO and co-owner of Manhattan Records. The face of the company. Everyone's boss of bosses, Skywalker's own nephew and my worst nightmare. I'd seen him from a distance a few times but hadn't ever actually spoken to him, and I was totally fine with that.

I'd put everything u had into a nice, neat package and give it to Mr. Skywalker to use as he saw fit. Anything other than information gathering and doing whatever my immediate boss in the A&R department told me was well above my pay grade.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three_

_Kylo Ren_

When the phone in my desk buzzed again, I sighed and pulled out the phone. It'd been going off at least once an hour ever since I'd gotten up this morning and I didn't need to look at it to know that it was Jyn. I had two phones. One for women and the other for everything else. It made things much simpler to keep sex and my actual life separate.

Occasionally, the women I dumped would try to cling to me, calling, texting that sort of thing, but ignoring them generally got the point across.

A day or two after a few tearful voicemails or angry text messages and then it was done. At least I assumed the voicemails were tearful. I never listened to them. The only reason that I didn't delete or block the numbers immediately after ending an arrangement was because I'd learned early on that some women, if provoked too much, would go to that extra mile to find my personal number and harass me while I was at work.

Qir'a Miller. I'd learned a lot about how to handle women from that nutcase. Ghosting her had pissed off but blocking her number had been the final straw. She'd showed up at my place, pounding on my door and making an embarrassment of herself.

When that hadn't gotten her anything but a police escort back to her car, she'd come into work and stood in the lobby when security wouldn't let her upstairs.

Manhattan Records had just been getting their feet underneath them at the time, and it'd been a headache I hadn't needed. Eventually, strings had been pulled, and I'd been able to quietly take out a restraining order against her.

I opened my messages and scrolled to the bottom, not even bothering to read the litany of insults and curses being hurled my way. The other benefit of having a separate phone for all communications with my 'girlfriends' was that I had everything readily available should I need to take legal action.

Again, Qir'a Miller. She'd followed the restraining order and stayed away, but that hadn't prevented her from going to a tabloid with stories of our sensual bedroom exploits. Fortunately, for me, that'd backfired on her and I could breath a sigh of relief. 

She hadn't realized that telling people I'd used handcuffs and blindfolds had reflected on her more than it had me.

Sexist, sure, but that wasn't my fault. I couldn't make society think the same way about a man with certain kinks as they did about a woman who had them too. Just like those anonymous pictures of her on her hands and knees, sucking me off while I watched the NFL draft had sent her back to Nebraska with her tail between her legs while I'd pretty much gotten a headshake and an eye roll.

As least she hadn't tried to say it hadn't been consensual. I still had the footage the pictures had come from, and there'd be absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that she'd consented if I released the tape. I hadn't done it, of course, because she'd backed of, but damn, I would've.

That was the whole point of me getting permission to record everything. The women I was with knew that no matter where we were or what we were doing, chances were high that I was recording every movement in someway. 

I'd worked too fucking hard to get where I was to have some bitch lie about me and steal it. Most of them though I liked to watch it later and jerk off to it, but the truth was everything was stored away in case I needed it for some legal reason. I didn't do re-runs. Speaking of which.....

_8:45AM_

_There's no further discussion warranted. You agree to all terms prior to entering into our agreement. Don't contact me again_

_KR_

As I sent the message, I wondered if perhaps I should start drawing up actual contracts. I hadn't wanted to go that far since I'd most likely need to bring an actual lawyer into it to make them binding. I had a business degree from NYU and could find my way around a record contract, but something like this would need alot more that little bit of knowledge to make it worth the effort.

A poorly written contract could fuck me up worse than not having one at all. Since I hadn't yet replaced Jyn, I turned the phone off and returned it to my desk. 

Work was going to be my only focus for a while. I'd had enough women for at least a couple weeks. I'd barely started going through my email when someone knocked on the door. A wave of relief went through me when I looked up to see my partner, Sheev Palpatine, standing in the doorway.

I waved at him. We've worked together for about six years and he as one off the few people that I'd like to call me out on my shit and get away with it. And judging by the look on his face at the moment, he was about to do just that.

"So, I am hearing rumors that Armitage Hux is being a major pain the ass again." 

"I wasn't aware that he ever stopped," I said dryly. "Tell me something that I don't know."

"Well, for one he's harassing A&R about special perks for the event that's being held this weekend." Palpatine sat one the couch against the far wall rather than in the chair across from me.

"Holdo came to you?"

He shook his head. "I just happened to overhear your uncle's assistant telling him about the call. I didn't stick around to find the exact details since we both know he'll come to us if it's something we need to know."

"So how did my uncle's assistant get the call?" I asked. I vaguely remembered something about hiring a second assistant for A&R so that my uncle and Amilyn could each have have their own, but I didn't recall having met the person.

"She's always here half an hour before, Luke, going through email and voicemail to weed out the stuff he doesn't need to bother himself with." Palpatine sent a pointed look at the stack of unopened mail next to my computer. "It's why I suggested you get yourself a person assistant."

"And I told you that it wouldn't be worth it since I have to waste my time showing him or her how I liked things done, only to have them quit in a couple of weeks either because I was too mean or because I wouldn't fuck them. Possibly both, you know me."

He didn't even blink. "Your humility never ceases to amaze me, Ren."

I tipped him a rather sarcastic salute, "I've never claimed to lack confidence, Sheev."

"That's true, you have not," he admitted. "On a different note, have you decided if you want Jannah Stevens sitting next to you or Jyn during the dinner? Apparently, it'll make a difference in optics."

"Shit."

Sheev sighed. I knew that look. I had seen him give it to me far too many times during our partnership. It was his: what-the-fuck-did-you-do, Ren, look? And of course five seconds later, it came tumbling out of his mouth. "What the hell did you do, Ren?"

I tapped my pen on the edge of my desk. "I completely forgot that I'd included her on the guest list."

"And you've dumped her?"

"She was getting too clingy for my tastes," I said. "And to be perfectly honest, I was bored off my fucking ass."

Palpatine slowly leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Tell me, Ren, have you ever met anyone who bored you? Honestly, I ask you."

"Only you," I answered with a grin. When he didn't smile back, I cleared my throat. "Look, we both know that Jyn was only with me to meet people who could further her career. She knew that I was inly with her for the sex. We goth got what we wanted until it wasn't working anymore."

"And did she feel the same when you informed her that you didn't want her anymore?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Hey, it's not my fault she wanted more than I'm willing to give."

"Do you really think it's unusual for a woman to believe that man may wish to spend time with her for reasons other than just sex?"

"If she's with me, it should be unusual. I don't lead women on, Sheev, you know that or at least you should after all these years."

"I know that, but I'm a little tired of ending up as your plus one because you keep breaking up with your women before all these events....no offense."

I grinned at him. "Come on, Sheev. We make a cute couple, don't you think?"

He just laughed, and I knew his annoyance at me would eventually fade. He'd never hidden the fact that he was openly gay, but it wasn't something he advertised either. He was a discreet man about all aspects of his life, personal as well as professional. It was why we worked so well together.

He liked doing the behind the scenes things, and I liked being the public face of the company. I might not always like socializing, but I certainly liked the prestige and the attention that came with running a company like Manhattan Records. There were always the assholes who liked to make inferences---or flat-out statements--that Palpatine and I were lovers, but neither one of us let those sorts of things get to us.

Once Palpatine realized that he wouldn't lose my friendship because of some homophobic jackoffs liked to run their mouths, it'd become something of a joke between us.

"I mean it this time, though. I've already got plans this weekend, so unless you want the table number to be uneven, you had better figure out someone else to take." He leaned back again and crossed his legs. "Now, what are we going to do about our star asshole?"


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four_

_Rey Kenobi_

When I came back from lunch, Mr. Skywalker was still out at his business slash lunch, so I headed over to Ms. Holdo's office to ask her if there was anything I could do to help her. I liked her very much as I liked Mr. Skywalker, but she was definitely wasn't as easy-going about things. 

It was a completely different learning experience. One I appreciated but sometimes she scared the shit out of me.

"Anything I can help you with?" I asked after she called me into her office.

"Is Luke still at lunch?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I told Ren if he put Luke in charge of wining and dining, he'd lose an entire afternoon." Despite the words, her tone was affectionate. She and Luke had a strange sort of relationship, something like I'd always imagined a sibling would be. She sighed. "But he's good at what he does. I'd be too busy looking at my phone and thinking about getting back to the office. He enjoys his role, and I enjoy mine."

That was without a doubt probably the longest speech I'd ever heard her give. Generally, she was more of an action person than a talking person. 

"So, do you need his approval for any of the tasks you've completed?" she asked briskly. "Anything you're waiting on?"

"No. Once I'm finished my list. I left it on his desk to review. He'd already given me permission to look into all of the requests...." I paused, realizing I was saying too much. "Sorry, ma'am. You didn't ask for details. The answer's no, I'm not waiting on his approval for anything."

"What did he have you working on?"

"Seeing how many of Dua Lipa's requested perks are feasible." I kept my answer concise.

She gave me a searching look. "How long have you been his assistant, Rey?"

"About three months, ma'am."

A long pause, and she nodded as if she'd decided something. "I have something that I'd like you and Rose to do." 

I listened as she explained the task, asked two clarifying questions and then went out to find Rose. The two of us knew each other, of course, and we'd talked in passing as well as when we were waiting on our bosses. We'd even both worked on the same project, but we'd had our own individuals tasks and had barely interacted.

I didn't think she was the kind of person I'd ever really be good friends with, but I figured we could work together without a problem.

"So wants us to do what now?" Rose asked.

She was pretty, with fashionably-short inky-black hair in curls and the type of slender figure that she enjoyed flaunting. She wasn't like the catty girls I'd gone to school with, but she did seem to enjoy the attention.

"We're supposed to check out whatever musical asks that are going viral," I repeated. "and make notes. She wants to know a summary of the comments, both positive and negative. We're also to make suggestions for possibly ways to market each act, as well as what we think are their biggest strengths and weaknesses."

"Is that really an assistant's job?" Rose asked as she perched on the edge of my desk. "I mean, I get that's what A&R does, but doesn't it seem weird to you?"

I shrugged. "Not really. I mean, as assistants, isn't it our job to do what our bosses tell us?"

Rose leaned closer, a gleam in her dark eyes. "I like Ms. Holdo and Mr. Skywalker as bosses, but you have to admit, wouldn't it be amazing to work under the _big_ boss?"

She didn't even have to say his name because, even though, technically. Manhattan Records was owned by both Kylo Ren and Sheev Palpatine, everyone knew that Mr. Ren wasn't 'the big boss'. And I had a feeling this particular conversation wasn't going to go anywhere good.

"I mean could you imagine what it would be like to be _under_ him" She wiggled her eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes. "Really? That's the sort of innuendo you're going with here, Rose?"

"Oh I can do a lot better than that," she said with a grin. "He can boss me around anytime, especially if it means I get to find out just how _big_ the boss really is."

"You do realize that's not an innuendo, right? There's no subtext there. Just text." I clicked on a popular video, then cursed under my breathe as it tried to load. I needed to call IT to check the network.

Something had been making the connection screwy for the past two weeks, and everyone was tired of it, but the only thing any of us could do was call IT and wait for them to do whatever it was they did and hoped it worked. Personally, I had a theory that they were messing with us as some sort of massive practical joke that was going to get the entire department fired soon.

In all honesty, I didn't understand how they hadn't been fired already. Mr. Ren wasn't know for the most kind and understanding of bosses.

He wasn't a monster or anything, but he expected his employees to do their jobs and do them well. Maybe it was Mr. Skywalker who was keeping the IT guys around. Since he was the co-owner he might've used his passion to prevent Mr. Ren from doing a mass firing.

He was probably that sort of guy. I'd never met him, but I'd heard good things. He'd been the original financial backer, taking a chance partnering with Mr. Ren, but didn't want to be in the public eye. He came to the company Christmas party every year, but mostly kept to himself. I didn't think it was out of a dislike of people but what did I know?

"Oh, you've got it bad, girl." Rose pushed my shoulder.

"What?" I blinked up at her. "What do I have?"

She leaned in closer to me and put her hand to her mouth as if she intended to tell me something private. "You were thinking about how big Kylo's cock is." 

"ROSE!" Heat flooded my face. "Seriously, you can't talk about our boss like that!"

She shrugged and smoothed down her skirt. "Come on, Rey-Ann. You can't tell me that you haven't fantasized about him?"

"Rey. Just Rey," I corrected her for what felt like the thousandth time. "And no I don't. I happen to leave work at work."

A little lie, but a little white one and not something that had anything at all do with Kylo Ren. I figured that it didn't really count, though. Or at least not to Rose Tico of all people, anyways.

"Not even the rumors?"

I frowned. "Rose, we really shouldn't be talking about this. It's completely and totally inappropriate." 

"Oh heave forbid we do anything inappropriate around here." She rolled her eyes and then ran her pinky finger along her bottom lip, as if she needed to smooth out her blood-red lipstick. "You don't really want to sit here staring at videos of people desperate for attention and then have to write some boring massive report like we're in high-school. I've got some serious juicy gossip. It confirms a lot of what people say about him."

I ignored her and opened my desk drawer to get my earbuds. Ms. Holdo had given us both this task, but if Rose wasn't going to take it seriously, then I'd have to do this myself.

Unfortunately, my earbuds weren't in my right drawer, which meant they were in the left one, and Rose was in front of it. I'd just have to block her out as best as I could. That, however, was a lot easier said than done.

"My best friend, Naima, is cousins with this girl who dated Kylo for a few weeks last summer, and the things he told Naima about what Kylo likes to do in the bedroom....it's like something straight out of one of those kinky erotic novels. He puts that Christian Grey to utter shame!"

She said with disgust, like she didn't have one of those kinky erotic novels in the bottom left drawer of her desk. If she wasn't gossiping with her friends when she was supposed to be working, she was reading. 

"And Naima said it's not just things like handcuffs and blindfolds either. I guess he tied her cousin up with ropes until she couldn't move, and then he did all sorts of things to her. He even made her give him a blowjob in a restaurant."

I stared harder at the screen and pretended that my entire face wasn't burning with sheer embarrassment. I wasn't a prude, but this wasn't workplace conversation...at all. 

Besides, I didn't want to think about my own boss in that way. Sure, he was incredibly gorgeous, but I'd have needed to be blind or deaf not to realize that. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rose watching me and wondered if the entertainment had turned from her gossiping to her trying to see how far she could really push me on the subject. 

She was going to be sorely disappointed, I'm afraid. I wasn't a combative person. I'd told her I didn't think the conversation was appropriate, and now I was going to completely ignore her. If she couldn't get a rise out of me, she'd most likely stop.

"But could you imagine it? Being at a public restaurant with him, and then he tells you to pretend you dropped something under the table, get down on your knees, and go down on him, right there?" She sighed. "I get so horny just thinking about it...."

Her voice trailed off on the last word, and I raised my head, assuming that she'd decided that we needed to get our work done. But that wasn't it at all. 

The reason Rose had stopped was because of the glowering man in an expensive Italian black suit standing in the doorway, a unpleasant scowl growing across his handsome face. Oh shit! It's _him_. It's Ren.

"You two. In my office. Now."

Oh, fuck my life!


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five_

_Kylo Ren_

I never pretended to be the boss that everyone loved, and I certainly never wasn't the boss known for having close, personal relationships with his employees. I didn't ask for ass-kissing, and I quite frankly didn't want it, but I did believe in respect. And what I'd just overheard wasn't even close to respectful.

"You two. My office. Now."

I didn't even wait to see if they would follow me because, if they didn't, they wouldn't even get the chance to try and save their jobs. Not that they had much of one anyway, but any chance was better than no chance.

"Shut the door behind you ladies." I said as I walked around my desk and sank into my chair.

I left them standing as I gave them both hard looks. The short one with the long, black hair looked absolutely mortified, her eyes darting everywhere around me but never actually looking directly at me. Her friend's face was red, but there was a defiant jut to her chin that told me she wouldn't go down easily.

"Names?"

"Rose Tico," the taller one said, folding her arms.

"Rey Kenobi." The brunette's voice was soft.

Their names were enough to confirm that it had been the first young woman who'd been speaking. I hadn't heard the other one speak at all, not even to tell her friend to be quiet. She could have been speaking before I'd gotten there.

"Well, that was quite an interesting conversation you two were having when I walked by." I started in without asking either of them to sit down. "Would either of you like to explain? Or perhaps just give me a reason why I shouldn't fire both of you right now on the spot?"

Rose didn't wait more than a few seconds to start talking. "I don't know what you heard, Mr. Ren, but Rey and I were just talking about this book she was reading about this employee sleeping with her boss." 

Rey's head snapped up, her eyes wide enough for me to be able to identify the color of her irises as green. "I-I--"

"Okay, so maybe the subject matter wasn't entirely workplace appropriate," Rose continued, "but how is discussing literature a firing offense? There's nothing in the company's policies about talking about certain books, is there?"

"I wasn't even reading a book!" Rey blurted out loud. Her cheeks colored.

Rose shot her one of the dirties looks I'd ever seen, and if the attitude she'd been showing hadn't already been convincing me that she was full of shit, that would've done it right there. Still, I waited to see if Rey would clarify the statement, but she said nothing.

"What about it Miss Tico?" I asked dryly. "Were the two of you of discussing a book, or is there something else you would like to addend about your statement?"

Rose's mouth twisted into a scowl. "It's not like I was saying anything mean."

I raised an eyebrow at this statement. "Okay, I think I've heard quite enough. You're suspended for the remainder of the week. I'll be speaking with Luke and Amylin regarding your usual work to determine if you'll be on probation when you return."

She opened her mouth, then immediately snapped it shut again. Wise move, sweetheart.

"Get out. Now."

Rose scurried away, leaving Rey standing in my office, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but here, alone with me.

"What about you?" I asked, leaning forward and putting in elbows on my desk. "What do you have to say about what I just overheard?"

To my surprise, she finally looked at me, her expression smoothed out and blank. Her cheeks were still red but seemed to be completely under control now. No more impromptu statements before her.

"I was working on the assignment that Ms. Holdo gave me."

I wondered if I could get under her skin, just enough to get a genuine reaction rather than something well thought out and calculated. I raised and eyebrow. "And...?"

She shook her head. "And nothing, I said I was working, that's what I was doing."

"Which means your friend was the one running her mouth about things that she had no business talking about."

Even though I didn't need to her tell me that Rose had indeed bee the one talking about me, having a witness there would make things easier if Rose decided not to take her punishment quietly. While I didn't like hearing anyone talk about me, I knew that plenty of people suspects the sort of person that I was like in private. 

If Rose wanted to lie, she could make my life extremely difficult.

"I asked you a question, Miss Kenobi."

"Actually, no, you didn't."

Olay, not so as soft-spoken as I'd originally thought. She wasn't talking loudly, but there was nothing soft about her resolve.

I rephrased. "So, was your friend the one running her mouth about things she had no business talking about?"

Again nothing. Her fierce determination not answer my question was both maddening and arousing---I could feel it in my slacks. I was getting hard. Very hard.

"Are you really going to stand there and claim that I didn't ask a question this time?"

"No, sir." she answered.

Her quiet words hit me with a punch of lust. I took another long look at her, this time letting myself see her as someone other than any employee. She was more than a foot shorter than ne, with fine features could have made her look delicate if they'd be paired with a slender body. Instead, she had curves that my hands itched to explore. 

Normally, my women were thin, brittle in ways that went beyond physical. Not that she was my woman or anything. Not even close to that. And yet....

I stood up and came around to stand in front of her leaving barely enough room between us to be appropriate for employer/employee. 

"Are you ever going to answer my question?"

She didn't look up at me but she didn't look down either. Instead, she stared at the center of my chest. "No, sir. I am not."

I took a half-step forward, crossing into almost-inappropriate territory. I was toeing a thing line here, and I knew it, too. I had grounds to fire Rose for the way she was talking, but I'd only suspended her for it. If I suspended Rey without just cause, and she reported it to HR, she might have a case for wrongful dismissal, especially if I kept going the way I was going.

But I wasn't done with her yet. Not by a long shot.

"What about what you were going? Will you tell me that?"

"I told you, I was working on the assignment that Ms. Holdo gave me?"

"Which was?"

Her eyes flickered up, and then back down again. "To find viral videos online and to make notes on them. Basically." 

That sounded plausible. Part of A&R was finding new talent. It made sense that Luke and Amylin would have their personal assistants searching the internet. I'd never have required them to do their work in any specific way.

"So, you were doing your work, but your friend was talking about me?" I made an educated guess and took her silence as affirmation. She wasn't intimated by me.

I'd never met anyone like her before, and it certainly intrigued me. It'd had been a very long time since I'd been curious about anyone, especially a woman. It made me uncharacteristically reckless. I liked reckless.

"Tell me, Miss Kenobi, do you know anything about an even we're having this weekend?"

Her head came up, confusion written all over her face. "Yes. I handed off Dua Lipa's requests to Mr. Skywalker this morning."

I do remember Sheev saying something about Hux and perks. "Dua Lipa had requests?" 

She seemed relieved that we were veering away from the original topic. "Yes, Mr. Ren. There was a message left for A&R last night on the answering machine."

Curious to know how well she did her job, I asked her the same question even though I already knew the answer. "Who left the message?"

"Mr. Armitage Hux," she said. "Mr. Skywalker said that he planned to speak with you about it as soon as he could."

I nodded. My uncle was a good employee. If he said he'd talk to me about it, then he'd do it. I didn't need to worry about it. I could finally turn my attention to something else for the time being. Her. 

"I have a....proposition for you, Miss Kenobi," I began. "I....lost my plus one to the event, and I need someone to accompany me. If you do that for me, I'll forget that you were even a part of a conversation that caused on of your co-workers to be suspended."

Her jaw dropped. "I told you, I wasn't part of the conversation."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't care."


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter Six_

_Rey Kenobi_

Was my boss seriously blackmailing me into going out on a date with him? I had to be misunderstanding him, right? Because this was Kylo Ren, millionaire CEO and co-owner of Manhattan Records. The man who routinely dated the hottest women in the world, discarding them one right after the other after he had his fun with them.

He could literally walk into anywhere, snap his fingers, and have a dozen beautiful women ready and willing to do whatever he wanted. 

Why me, and why like this? My utter confusion was only part of what I was feeling. The rest was purely...anger. Who the _hell_ did he think he was? That sort of thing might've been the way things worked as little as a couple years ago, but the age of free-for-all sexual harassment and manipulation was over.

People who did things like that didn't get a free pass, not in _my_ books. Even if the HR department here wouldn't listen to me, I had other options. If nothing else, I could take to social media.

But if I did any of those things, I'd lose my job for sure. If I refused him, I'd probably only get suspended, but I had no doubt that if I caused him problems for him, he'd do whatever he could to get me out of his company for good.

And I couldn't let that happen. I needed to stay at Manhattan Records, even if it meant letting my boss think he could force me to go on a date with him.

Besides, it wasn't like this was some private function where he could manhandle me. Mr. Skywalker and Ms. Holdo would both be there. I could approach this as a learning experience, seeing first-hand what A&R did at events like this. After all, I'd already been working on it. For all I knew, I would've been invited there to attend anyway without his Mr. Ren's request.

I was justifying it to myself, and I knew it, but when I weighted out my options, this was the comparatively better answer.

"Fine, I'll go," I said. I held his gaze for a moment, then dropped my eyes. "May I go back to work now? If I'm the only one going the assignment, it will take me twice as long to finish it."

I made my voice as flat as possible. If he took that to mean that I disapproved of his methods, I hoped he'd feel bad about it, but I doubted it. The sort of man who'd blackmail a innocent person by accusing them of something they didn't even do wasn't exactly the kind of man who'd care about the approved of a subdorminate.

"Go ahead," he said. "I'll get you the details about this weekend."

I didn't bother to acknowledge the last statement as I left the office and headed back down to A&R and my desk. I had no doubt I'd have to be the one to eventually explain to Mr. Skywalker and Ms. Holdo what'd happened since neither Rose nor Kylo would do it, but if I had at least some of the work done by then, they'd hopefully see that I didn't intend to slack off just because I was the only one left.

To my surprise, Rose was standing by my desk when I arrived, but I wasn't even going to bother hoping she wanted us tp talk about our bosses together.

The expression her face was mutinous, to say the least.

"I figured we could walk out together," she said. "Strength in numbers you know."

Oh shit! I licked my lips dry. "I--um---"

"I seriously can't believe he suspended us for a whole week just because we were talking about the same rumors that everyone else here talks about it. It wasn't like we were insulting him or anything."

It was on the tip of my tongue to remind her that _we_ hadn't said anything at all, but when I considered the fact that she hadn't even bothered to apologize for lying about the conversation being about a book I was reading, I knew it wouldn't do anything but make matters worse.

Especially since I had the feeling there wasn't any other way I could get out of telling her that I hadn't been suspended at all.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get totally shit-faced tonight. It's not like we have to go to work tomorrow. You're buying the first round since I had to wait for you."

"I can't, I'm afraid," I said, mentally crossing my fingers that she'd let it go at that. Boy, was I wrong.

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, you can. That's what people do when they have a shitty day at work. They get fucking drunk and maybe even get laid." She reached for the bottom drawer of my desk. "Where's your purse? If we make it out without being seen, he'll have to tell Skywalker and Holdo himself. I can't believe I was actually thinking about how much I'd like to fuck him. Douchebag---"

"Rose," I cut in. As I'd learned not too long ago, she wouldn't stop unless I interrupted. "I can't just up and leave. I still have to work."

Her beady black eyes narrowed at this response. "So he put off your suspension until tomorrow?"

I shook my head, wishing there was an easier way to do this. "I wasn't suspended at all." Her mouth dropped opened, and I seized the opportunity to spin in a little white lie. "Because he didn't hear me say anything, he couldn't suspend me without risking me going to HR."

Okay, not exactly a _little_ lie, but it was a necessary one.

"Right," she sneered. "I'm sure just as soon as I left the room, you told him all about our little conversation. Probably threw in a few extras too, right? Maybe embellished some of the things I said."

I shook my head, but she didn't even give me the chance to tell her that it hadn't been like that.

"Or maybe you didn't _say_ anything. You weren't up there very long, but maybe he doesn't have the stamina that rumors claim."

Her voice kept getting louder and louder, and I looked around, fully expecting other people in the office to be staring at us. Fortunately, she wasn't as loud as it seemed.

"Was that it, Rey? Did you offer to blow him right there in his office or did he want you to meet him after work? How long do you have to fuck him to make up for him not suspending you?"

"Enough, Rose!" I snapped. "Look, I get that your pissed off about what happened, okay?, but it's not my fault! You should probably go before Mr. Ren realizes that you're still here and calls security and has you thrown out of the building. I'm sure you don't want to be escorted out, do you?"

A suddenly flicker of fear within the anger told me I was on the right track. If she was the one in charge of making the scene, she was totally okay with that, but she didn't want to be embarrassed by losing control. 

She glared at me for one more moment, then spun around and stomped away. 

I breathed a sigh of relief as I slumped into my chair, but it was very short-lived. I now knew for certain that I had to find some way out of my 'date' this weekend. If Rose was already assuming that I'd traded sexual favors for not being suspended, everyone would believe I was sleeping with the boss if I showed up at an event on his arm.

That was not the sort of reputation that I wanted in the industry, or in my personal life for that matter. Even if it wasn't true, people would certainly think it was.

I'd never get past it. And it wouldn't end at this company. People in this industry knew Mr. Ren's and his reputation. Even if they didn't hear the rumors, they'd made the same assumptions Rose had, with or without knowing about this particular incident.

I didn't usually care what people thought about me, but there was a couple of people who were important to me, and I didn't want them to think that I'd gotten my most recent promotion because I'd had sex with Mr. Ren. Or that I'd gotten _anything_ from him for any sort of favors at all.

I'd never taken the easy way, and it irked me to think that people would think I had simply because Rose hadn't taken responsibility for her behavior and told Mr. Ren that I was innocent.

This was _not_ the way I'd wanted to start this week.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven_

_Kylo Ren_

This was not how I expected my day to go. The discussion with Palpatine hadn't been too out of the ordinary, but when I'd headed for the A&R department to speak with Amylin, i hadn't expected to hear two young women talking about my personal sexual preferences. 

And I certainly hadn't expected to be interested in one of those women. Granted, I hadn't specifically heard that one talking about me, but she hadn't told Rose to stop either.

Still, I knew making her go this Friday in exchange for not being suspended could me into serious trouble with HR. I didn't intend on taking things further than that, especially since I wasn't going to force into any sort of physical contact. A date was one thing. Anything else would be wrong.

Well, _completely_ wrong instead of just a little gray area of wrong. That didn't, however, mean that I was going to try to get her to agree to some physical contact.

I could still picture the way she'd looked at me, that combination of submission and defiance. She'd wanted to argue with me, but she'd held back. I hadn't seen any ounce of fear, though. It'd been more like watching someone think through a list of pros and cons before making a final decision. But she hadn't held onto that insolence though, not like Rose had.

The way she'd looked down after meeting my eyes. How she'd held back her arguments even when I'd pushed her buttons.

When she'd left, I'd waited until she disappeared to give into all of the possibilities that had flooded within my mind. And there'd been quite a lot of them. Possibilities and fantasies galore. The curvy brunette tied up in _my_ bed---a bed.

Pale lace lingerie that enticed. Her eyes nearly black with desire. Those slender legs wrapped around my waist. Her lips swollen and begging....for me.

It had been that last one that had gotten me out of my chair and into the private bathroom connected to my office. Despite the thoughts that had just raced through my mind, thinking about sex during work wasn't normally my thing. Usually, I didn't seem to be doing anything my usual way today.

Including the fact that I was getting a massive erection in the middle of a workday thanks to intimating an employee into going on a date with me.

As much as I tried to shame myself into losing my hand on it, it didn't appear to be working. Probably because I couldn't stop thinking about Rey. She was an assistant on the A&R department, which meant she had to have been here for a while, but I had no recollection of ever seeing her before, let alone meeting her.

If I had, I probably would have already pulled up her employee file and learned everything I could about her.

I leaned down and splashed cold water on my face. Refreshing. Did jack-shit to stop the stream of pornographic images starring a certain curvy employee of mine, though. 

Baseball statistics. Mud. Nothing. Okay, maybe I needed something that wasn't just unsexy. I needed something gross to help. Hairy, obese men in towels. Oozing open wounds. Blood-soaked bandages. 

That stuff turned my stomach, but my cock was standing strong. Impressive, even for me. I supposed that left only one option.

I didn't do this sort of thing at work. But since I was breaking all sort of rules today, what was one more? I needed to make this quick and efficient. It wasn't about pleasure, or even about getting it out of my head for a while, but rather about me taking care of a physical necessity so that I could get back to work.

Deliberately, I pushed aside the thoughts of my employee and called up a random image from a past encounter. Not Jyn, but a svelte blond flight attendant that I'd gotten to know better during a cross-country flight for business. Robin. That had been her name. Or close enough anways.

I let that memory fill my mind as I unzipped my pants and pushed them down far enough to free my cock. As I wrapped my fist around the base, I closed my eyes better to call up the visual memory.

Robin's pert little ass swayed from side-to-side as I followed her to the bathroom stall. Other passengers watched us as we both went inside, knowing what we'd be doing in here. Neither one of us said a word as she leaned against the sink, her heels putting her at exactly the right height for what came next. I pushed her skirt up and dragged her panties down, using my foot to move her feet apart.

She glanced over her shoulder and asked if I could fuck her ass. She and her boyfriend had an open relationship, and he apparently liked to hear about the other men she fucked but her pussy was completely off-limits. I shrugged. A hole was a hole....

But apparently, a fantasy wasn't just a fantasy. I let out a groan of frustration. My erection hadn't gone away, but it'd softened enough for me to know that thinking about how I'd fucked Robin so hard she'd been walking funny when we came out of the bathroom wasn't going to get me off.

I didn't even bother trying to think of anything or anyone else. I'd already known that only fantasizing about Rey would work.

Now, I had to accept and move on with it. My hand moved over my cock as a scene played out inside of my mind. I yearned to make it as real as possible.

Rey walked into my office wearing only a long black coat. Without a word, she undid the buttons and let it fall to the ground. Beneath, she wore only the skimpiest of sheer triangles over each of her nipples and another between her legs. They served more as friction for sensitive skin than any real purpose. She kept her head down as she waited for her instructions.

"Here."

She came toward me with small, delicate steps, her natural stride hampered bh her heels. She hated wearing them, and her obidence despite this was one of the many reasons she'd lasted long.

"Kneel."

She went to the ground in front of me and clasped her hands behind her back. I reached for the slim silver chain that hung from her collar and used it to drag her into the space between my legs. 

"Now lick."

She obidently opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. It had taken her days of practice to be able to keep her balance without the use of her hands, but now she was able to focus solely on the soft little licks she made up and down my throbbing cock. Her face held such wonderful expressions that I required her to wear her hair back unless told otherwise.

It had added the benefit of allowing me to watch that talented pink tongue of hers she laved over every inch of me.

"Now suck."

She moved up to give herself the leverage she needed to take my cock into her mouth without being able to use her hands. She took the tip between her lips first, then lowered her head slowly, letting me enjoy the sensation of it sliding over her tongue on my way the back of her throat. Her body stiffened for just a moment when the head of my dick reached the back of her mouth, but she didn't struggle.

"That's my good girl."

I put a hand on the back of her head, keeping a steady pressure there as she continued descending. We her lips stretched tight around the base of my cock, saliva dribbling down her chin and onto my balls, I firmly held her there.

Her throat muscles convulsively squeezed, and I could feel the tension in her body as she fought against her own instincts. She wouldn't tap out, though.

She enjoyed this as much as I did, or she wouldn't keep coming back. I yanked out her ponytail and grabbed two fistfuls of her dark hair. I gave her a few seconds to process what was coming next, and then I raised her up just enough to give me room to thrust. I held her head steadily and pistoned my hips, slamming onto her face over and over again.

I'd cum down her throat and then have her lick my balls and ass until I was fully hard again. Then after that.....

I bit back a curse as I came and slammed my free hand on my cold marble counter, while my other hand rapidly fisting over my cock as I drained out every last drop. Maybe once after I cleaned up, I'd finally be able to concentrate on my work.

And even more importantly, maybe I needed to reconsider taking Rey on Friday evening. If one conversation with her could fuck with my head that much, who knew what several hours with her would do to me. She was an employee, nothing more and I needed to see her only as that, but damn it, after that, how could I?

Her smart mouth, her fierce determination to piss me off with the slightest remarks, yet her submission to me when she held her head low....I am _so_ completely fucked and I knew it, too.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

_Rey Kenobi_

I had a very narrow window of opportunity in which to prevent the damage that I knew was coming. Rose and I were being called into the CEO's office, that had made it out of the A&R department before I'd even gotten back. That meant people had been paying attention when Rose and I had come back, and at least a few had heard some of the things she'd been shouting at me.

Now, those were just some accusations, and I'd never done anything that would support the thing's she had said, but it was something interesting, and people were sure enough going to spread anything that hinted at gossip.

If nothing else new or unusual happened around here, however, I knew that the rumors would die....in time. But if I showed up to an event on his arm, things would definitely explode in my face. I wouldn't be able to take that back, and no would around here would believe for a moment that I hadn't been performing sexual favors for Mr. Ren, maybe for years to come.

Which meant that I needed to fix this before I went home for the day. Rose would be on the phone to her friends as soon as they got off work---if she hadn't been talking to them already--but if they came in tomorrow and saw that everything was the same, her accusations would lose steam.

By the end of the week, they would have lost all their firepower. When she came back on Monday and found that the only thing that I'd done differently this week was take care of both my job and hers, too, she might even give it up.

Some people would always believe the negative, and I couldn't help that anymore than I could any of the other shit that people seemed had believed about me over the years. What I could control, however, was how much I let it bother me. And I could do whatever possible to nip things like this in the bud. Which was why I was sitting in the lobby of Manhattan Records nearly two hours after everyone else had gone home for the day.

I'd brought my work laptop with me after promising Mr. Skywalker that 'd do some extra work at home, and I'd be using it while I waited for Mr. Ren to come downstairs.

Except I was starting to think that Mr. Ren wouldn't be coming down anytime soon. I knew he worked a lot, but I'd thought a couple extra hours here and there, with an occasional weekend. Apparently, I'd underestimated him by assuming that his reputation was a playboy meant that he spent time at bars and all sorts of high-class parties. For the first time, I wondered if I'd been listening to rumors about him the same way people would listen to rumors about me.

Still, that bit of guilt I felt wasn't enough to keep my 'date' this weekend. I sighed as I looked up at the clock again. I hadn't had much in the way of lunch, and I was starting to get really hungry.

If I had to wait for him much longer, I wasn't going to take responsibility for anything that I said or did. Being weak and loopy from hunger was a genuine defense for stupid, reckless behavior. Or I could take the initiative and do something rather passively waiting to react.

I put my laptop in my bag, took a fortifying breath, and headed straight for the CEO's office. The entire floor was down to evening lighting, and eerie shadows lingered in the corners.

My heels made strange sounds on the carpet, something I hadn't noticed until now when I went down the hall to Mr. Ren's office, reminding me I was far more alone than I had been earlier today. No receptionist. No bosses expecting to see me. No other fellow co-workers. I wasn't afraid of him, exactly, but I'd have been lying if I said the idea of being so completely alone with Mr. Ren didn't make my heart beat faster.

The door was closed, and for a moment, I wondered if I'd missed him leaving. Perhaps he'd gone home for the day---or wherever--while I'd been watching one of the dozen videos I'd watched today. I wasn't about leave without at least seeing this thing through, though.

I knocked, then waited. When I didn't hear anything after a minute, I raised my hand to knock again....and almost hit my boss right in his firm-looking chest.

I managed to stop my hand, but not my surprised exclamation. "OH!"

He looked equally surprised but managed to hide it much quicker than I did. "Miss Kenobi, I thought you'd gone home for the day."

"Why? Are you keeping tabs on me or something?" I asked, startled enough to even forget why I'd come to him in the first place. One side of his mouth tipped up in a half-smile, and for the first time, I noticed how warm his mocha brown eyes could really be.

"I just meant that I'm usually the only one left by this time in the office. Please, come in, Miss Kenobi."

He stepped out of the way as he issued his invitation, his behavior a complete one-eighty from when he'd ordered me here earlier. Granted, earlier, he'd had a reason to think I'd done something wrong, but the change left my head still spinning. I quickly followed him inside, this time leaving the door open and walking over to his desk with him.

He leaned against it, and I kept a chair between us, but I was still closer than I'd been before now.

"I spoke with Mr. Skywalker and Miss Holdo," he said. "They both speak very highly of you."

I blushed from embarrassment, half from pride. "Well, then you must know that I've really enjoyed working for them. It's been a real learning experience for me."

"Is this where you see yourself in the future?" he asked. "In their positions? Heading up A&R?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. When I was a runner, it was the department that I was most interested in."

He leaned on his desk, loosely lacing his fingers together in front of him. "Well, I'm guessing that you didn't come here to tell me about how much you've enjoyed working in the A&R department. So, how can I help you, Miss Kenobi?"

There wasn't really another way to say this other than to just come out with I. "I'm afraid that I can't go with you this Friday, Mr. Ren."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't yell at me. "Why is that?"

"Because people will think something is up. People will think that we're sleeping together."

"Is that so?" He seemed rather amused by my response. Of course, he would be. How could I forget that he's still a world-class jackass? "Or perhaps they'll simply think that a member of the A&R department is sitting with the CEO to provide him with information during an event."

I was shaking my head before he'd finished. "No, that's not what they'll think."

"It will be if that's what I tell them to think, Miss Kenobi."

I gave him a puzzled look. "I'm not really sure if you've noticed, but gossip doesn't usually do what it's told."

His mouth tightened. "I'm well aware of that, Miss Kenobi."

"Then you should know that it won't matter what you decide to tell people. They're going to see a wealthy, powerful man with a young woman who works for him. We both know what people will automatically assume and I don't want my either of our reputations to be---"

He stood up straight and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Do you really care what people assume, Miss Kenobi?"

"There's a huge difference between rumors without any substance and feeding into what people are already saying," I countered.

"So, what are people saying?"

I looked away from him, unable to meet the intensity of his gaze. I don't know why he wanted to hear the answer from me when I he already knew it deep down. "They're saying that because Rose was suspended and I wasn't, that I must've....done something to earn a reprieve."

His dark eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean." I forced my gaze to stay on his this time. It was harder than it looked. "But if you really want me to spell it out for you then, it's pretty simple. People think that I slept with you so that you wouldn't suspend me."

"And how did _that_ particular rumor get started, Miss Kenobi?"

At the accusation in his deep voice, my head snapped back up in his direction. I wasn't going to let him start this whole "he said, she said" bullshit with me, oh no! "Well, I certainly didn't start it if that's what you were insinuating."

He gave me a hard look, but then nodded. "I believe you."

"Thanks?" I couldn't from making the word sound more like a question than a reply.

"Can you at least tell me who started the rumor?" he repeated.

I shook my head. No, adding fuel to the fire wasn't a good idea, and I wasn't going to give him the pleasure. I had been in quiet enough trouble today on both the receiving ends---from him, then Rose. No, the best thing i could do was keep my mouth shut on the whole thing. "I'm not going to add to it."

Before he could argue, someone else knocked on the door. We both turned to see a nervous-looking teenager with a plastic bag full of what--based on the amazing smell---I assumed was takeout. 

"Sorry, I buzzed the door downstairs, but no one answered so I tried the backdoor and it was open." He held up the bag. "The note on the receipt gave the floor number and---"

"Thank you," Mr. Ren said as he crossed over to the delivery guy. He handed over a bill with one hand and took the bag with the other. "You can keep the change."

"Thanks."

The delivery guy then headed back down the hall, and Mr. Ren watched him go. When the kid was out of earshot, Mr. Ren said, "Whoever's on security duty tonight is definitely getting fired."

At least now I knew that he wasn't sexist when it came to firing people for doing things on the job that they shouldn't, but it still didn't mean that they needed to be fired for making one tiny little mistake. However, that was something I couldn't help him with, he'd have to learn that on his own and I was more than happy to step back and let him take that on his own.

"But first, dinner." He turned and held up the bag. "Sit down. You're eating with me."

That didn't even sound like a request, but rather an order, and I doubted I could refuse what I knew was an order. Dammit, this was the last thing I wanted right now. To be here, alone, with the top assholes in all of New York who just happened to be my boss, let alone eat dinner with him. Then again, I am hungry and whatever he had in the bag smelled so good---shit!


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine_

_Kylo Ren_

I'd intended to stop by Miss Kenobi's desk Wednesday or Thursday to remind her of out little date, but I hadn't expected anything that happened within the last few minutes. She'd come to me instead. But it wasn't to accept my proposal to be my date, but to change her mind and decline the invitation. I'd never had that happen to me before.

Not someone turning me down. Not someone surprising me and taking me completely off guard. And certainly not both from the same person, either. 

Which meant I wanted to talk to her now more than ever. I needed to figure out what made her tick. When my dinner showed up, I seized the opportunity and kindly asked her to stay and eat with me. Well, I supposed the asking was less of a question and more of a statement, but making requests wasn't really my style.

"You mean you actually eat take-out?" she asked without moving from where she stood.

"What New Yorker doesn't eat take-out?" My attempt at charming her fell flat on its ass. It would definitely be the first. "You eat take-out, don't you?"

"Yes, but I'd guess most New Yorkers with your bank account don't." Heat flooded her face. "I sincerely apologize. That was completely out of line of me to say."

"You can make it up to me by eating dinner with me."

For the second time, I was resorting to blackmail to get what I wanted, and it grated on my nerves. From the expression she was trying to hide it, it clearly bothered her too,

"And what if I decline the invitation?"

"Then we both eat alone." I waited for her to tell me she wouldn't be eating alone, that she had a sweet, good-looking boyfriend or a friend waiting for her. The quick conversations I'd had with Luke and Amylin hadn't been about anything personal, but it wouldn't surprise me to find out that she was already taken.

"Somehow, I doubt it's very difficult for you to find a dinner date, Mr. Ren" she said dryly.

"Eat with me," I said again. "After the way you and your friend were talking about me today, it seems only fair."

After a brief moment of silence, Rey sighed. "All right. Fine, I guess it won't kill me."

I smiled and was rather surprised to find that it was completely genuine. I walked over to the short couch that sat against the far wall and took my usual seat. I set the bag of food on the low table, and by the time i'd taken out all of the containers, Rey was perched on the other end of the couch, looking more like she was poised to run than ready to eat a meal.

I wondered if she was scared of me. The size difference alone would be intimidating, I supposed.

"You can relax. I don't bite." I said. "Help yourself to anything you want."

"Do you always order so much food?" she asked as she picked up one of the containers, examined it, and then swapped it out for a pineapple curry.

I shrugged, reaching for a fork. "I don't mind eating leftovers."

She gave me a rather puzzled look. "Don't you have a personal chef who cooks all your meals or something like that?"

I opened one of the containers and took a bite of lemon-grass garlic chicken. I chewed slowly, savoring my favorite Thai dish as I thought about how I wanted to answer her question. If I offered too much personal information, she might think that gave her carte blanche to ask all sorts of prying questions about my private life. However, it could also get her to open up more to me.

"I happen to like good food as much as the next person," I said. "but I've never seen the point of hiring someone to cook just for me."

"Hmm, makes sense, I guess."

I watched her as we both ate in silence. Her focus seemed to be only on her food, but the color in her cheeks told me that she was aware of my attention. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd seen a woman blush with anything but arousal or anger. Sometimes both.

Rey, I gathered, wasn't completely accustomed to having people looking at her. For someone in the A&R department, that was a good thing. It immediately told me that she wasn't here to rub elbows with the rich and famous, and that she wouldn't try to steal the limelight from our artists.

"I didn't read your file by the way," I said. The surprise on her face made me smile. "You thought that I would?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she took another bite of her food. "It would make sense if you had. You talked to Mr. Skywalker and Ms. Holdo to find out what sort of employee I was. It would only make sense for natural curiosity, don't you think?"

"True, I did and yes you are right, but your file's only going to tell me your education and your employment history. I'd much rather talk to you in person to find out what you're really like." It sounded like a line, and it was one that I probably would've used at some point in time, but with her, I actually meant it.

"So, does that line usually work when you try to hit on your female employees?"

I immediately scowled at her, but then I saw a hint of humor in her eyes, and it blunted the annoyance. "I don't hit on my female employees," She raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything as she took yet another bite. I quickly changed the subject. "So, did you grow up in New York?"

"Yes. Staten Island," she said. "I already know that you grew up in the Bronx area."

"I did." I leaned back. "Does this mean that you read my biography?"

"I may have done some research before coming to work here." she admitted. "I guess you could say that I wanted to know what I was getting myself into." 

"Well, I think it's only fair that I know as much about you as you do about me," I countered. "So, are you an only child or one of many?"

"Only child," she said. "And I have a communications degree from NYU. There, now you know as much about me as I do about you. I'd say that we're even."

"Somehow I very much doubt that," I picked up another container and took a bite. "What made you choose Manhattan Records?"

She blinked but I wasn't sure why that question surprised her. It should've been expected. It was a safe thing for her to talk about, even between an employee and her employer, at least from my perspective, that is.

"I was still in college when I sawn an advertisement for an internship here. I figured it'd give me an bit of an idea of what I wanted to do with my degree once I graduated."

"You didn't know that you wanted to work in the music industry?" I asked.

"I wasn't one of those kids who always knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life," she answered. "But I'm really glad that I ended up here. I'm really enjoying working at A&R."

"Did you ever consider becoming a musician instead?"

She laughed, a soft sound that automatically maade me smile, feel fuzzy inside. I had never felt that before around a woman. It was new. Exciting and terriyfing. "Mr. Ren, no offense, if you'd ever heard me sing, you wouldn't ask that question."

"You could play an instrument." I stabbed another bite of my meal. "And, please, call me Kylo. I feel like a dirty old man when you call me Mr. Ren. I'm twenty-nine, not sixty."

Her smile then immediately fell from her face. "I'm not really sure if that's such a good idea."

I considered her for a moment, then said. "Well, then at least while we're outside work hours, then."

The fact that she genuinely seemed reluctant to call me by my first name made me even more certain that she wasn't the sort of woman who would use who I was to get something. If one thing could have made me more curious about her, that was definitely it. I wanted to know more about her---curiosity killed the cat---sort of.

"Okay," she said quietly. She then turned her attention back to her food, and the conversation stalled.

"Well, did you find anything interesting?" I quickly changed the subject, not wanting to let her fully leave my side....just yet. "Any acts you think we should take a look at?"

"There are a couple of that do sound very interesting," she said, the relief in her voice obvious. "I recorded all of the information that Ms. Holdo asked for if you'd like me to go and get it."

I shook my head. "That's quite all right. I'll take your word for it, if you say they're good enough for A&R to get involved, I'll hear about them eventually. That's the whole point of hiring people that I can trust."

I managed not to wince when I said that last word, which was impressive since trust wasn't something u really had with well....anyone. Palpatine was pretty much it, though I did trust my uncle and Amylin to do their jobs, if only because they were already such professionals at them. I supposed that meant it counted in this particular instance as well when it came to her.

"You signed Dua Lipa, right?" she asked.

I drank down a quarter of my bottle of water and then managed a tight smile. "I did. As well as Gorgon Poison, Felix Bower and Rya Flowers."

Her hazel eyes widened slightly at my response. "Those are the four biggest act Manhattan Records ever signed!"

I nodded. "They made the company," I then leaned closer to her. "Is that what you want to do, Rey? Find me the next Dua Lipa or Rya Flowers?"

"Maybe." she said. "I certainly wouldn't hate it."'

She didn't tell me not to call her Rey, which I hoped she meant that she was okay with it. I really liked this feeling of informality between us. Probably more than I really should have. But I didn't like the idea of us going to the event on Friday evening and having her calling me Mr. Ren.

That could really end up being a big problem.....for the both of us.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten_

_Rey Kenobi_

Today was a weird day all the way around. Weird enough that eating take-out with my bosses' boss after everyone else had gone home seemed like a pretty natural way to end the day. Except when it wasn't. Kylo was a much more complicated man than I had originally thought. With his expensive suits and playboy reputation, I'd assumed he was shallow and simple.

Of course, I'd known all along that he was quite intelligent. People didn't just get to be CEO and co-owner of a company like Manhattan Records if they didn't have brains.

He'd also been named to numerous lists of the city and the country's wealthiest and hottest men, all of which talked about just how brilliant he really was. Honestly, I'd thought that would make him less likeable because nothing about him screamed decent guy like a rich white male who not only thought he was the smartest person in the room but who actually _was_ most of the time. 

"Tell me, which of your artists are your favorites?" I asked him, not responding to his using my first name. I wasn't sure what to say, truthfully.

Things between us had blurred the moment that I'd accepted his invitation to be his date for the event. I never should have done that, but then I'd come here to fix that mistake, only to make an even worse one.

Still, I couldn't bring myself to get up and walk away from him, not when he was being a nice guy about everything. I didn't want a return of the guy who'd been such a jerk to me earlier today, anyways. He could stay gone for all I cared. This Ren, I could at least tolerate and hold a conversation with. 

"I don't listen to any of the label's artists," he said. "I don't want anyone to accuse me of having favorites."

"So them why don't you just listen to all of them, then?" I asked. "You know, equal opportunities?"

He shrugged. "I don't spend a lot of time outside listening to music, so I'd rather listen to something other than what I tend to hear at work all day long."

"Do you mind then if I asked what got you into the business of the music or for the business?" I asked. "The reason I ask is because there we a lot of people in my business classes in college who talked about how they didn't have a specific business that they wanted to get into. They like the challenge of creating a company and watching it thrive."

He slowly smiled. "That would be me. Don't get me wrong, I like music, but picked this industry because I learned really fast that I was good at spotting talent and even better at marketing it."

"And the challenge?"

His grin widened at my words, making him look years younger. "That's the best part."

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he felt the way about women, but I swallowed the words. I didn't understand it. I'd always been somewhat of a shy kid. Not insecure but shy, which meant for a lot of my life, people thought I was a snob rather than just keeping to myself. Except being around Kylo-- _Mr. Ren-_ -made my braid flip around so that I had no problem blurting things out loud....but I always felt like such an idiot after.

I supposed if it was something that I had any experience with, I'd be a little more confident, but dating wasn't exactly my thing nor my strong suit. Let alone talking to someone like him about dating.

"What about you, Rey? Do you like a good challenge?"

A cold shiver ran down my spine at the heat I heard in the words. Or at least I thought I heard. But that was probably just him flirting because that was what he did.

And I wasn't even sure that could even rightly be called flirting. Maybe it was more accurately just being charming. From what I understood, being charming was second nature to him. That would definitely make more sense than him flirting with me.

I wasn't one of those women who thought they were plain but only needed some sort of a makeover montage to see that they were really beautiful all along. I was pretty and had no personal issues with my figure, but I also had no illusions about the sort of women that Kylo dated. I didn't function well in public situations. I wasn't charming, and I'd been told that my attempts at flirting were quite painful to watch.

The sort of women he went out with exuded a sexy confidence that I doubted that I could ever match.

"I never shirk away from difficult things or from doing my very best," I said finally. "But I don't need a challenge for something to capture my immediate interest."

"Does that mean that you're not a competitive person?" he asked.

I considered the question before answering. "I'm not in the sense that I see everything as a win or lose situation, and I definitely don't feel the need to 'beat' other people at their own games. That doesn't mean that I won't do my best, though."

"Are you just saying that because I'm your boss?"

"I don't say things that I don't mean," I replied. "I'd rather not say anything at all than something that I don't believe in."

He studied me for what felt like a long time, the intensity of his gaze making me want to squirm in my seat. The heat was still there, but it'd been joined now by something else. Something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. "You're a woman of integrity," he said quietly. "There aren't many of your kind left in this world."

He sounded so unlike himself that I really didn't know what to make of it. I'd thought I'd seen both sides of him today. The forceful CEO with a temper, and this more relaxed, charming human beind.

Now, i wondered if either of them was even the real Kylo. Or was he a combination of those things? A man far more complex than I could ever have imagined? An awkward silence fell between us, and I took that was my cue to leave. I'd already lingered too long as it was for my liking. I needed to get out of here.. _.now._

I'd come here to say my piece, and i had done that. How he reacted to that was completely left up to him. It didn't matter that i really liked this side of him better than the one i'd encountered earlier today.

"It's getting late," I said nervously as I stood up. "I should probably get going."

He stood as well, taking only two steps to reach my side. "Here, I'll walk you to your car."

"I don't have a car, but thank you, anyways." I said. "I don't live very far from here. I can walk."

"Are you taking the subway by yourself?" He suddenly frowned, as if the idea really bothered him for some strange reason. _I can handle myself, Ren. I don't nee you intervening, especially with this._

"Same as I've done every single day since I first started working here." I said with a smile.

"Yes, but you're leaving later than you usually do."

"Look, I greatly appreciate the concern here, but I've been riding the subway by myself since I was practically a teenager." When he looked like he was going to argue, I quickly added. "I carry a large can of pepper-spray in my purse, and I took self-defense classes back in high-school. I think I can handle myself, okay?"

He still appeared very doubtful but didn't say anything as he followed me to the door. Before I stepped out of his office, I turned toward him, feeling like we were on some strange date that needed a bit of a firmer ending. I tipped my head back so I could meet his dark eyes while I spoke, but I couldn't find the right words to say.

He took my completely by surprise when he bent his head down, mouth covering mine even as he settled a hand on my hip. My brain misfired out of shock, and I just stood there, letting him kiss me, but that wasn't an excuse, not when the heat flowed through my body, eager for more. It took me only seconds to regain my composure and put my hands on his chest, firmly pushing him away, but in those seconds, desire had formed a fists in my stomach, twisting inside into tight knots.

"No, " I said, wanting to make myself very clear to him. "No."

He took a step back, a smooth mask settling into place. "Good."

I blinked. That hadn't been what I'd expected him to say. He'd respected my wishes, for which I was entirely grateful, but I didn't really understand his response.

"Okay? I'm....a little confused here."

He put his hands in his pockets, an expression of nonchalance on his face. As if he hadn't just been kissing me. "Confused? I think it's clear. I still want you to go with me on Friday evening."

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Again, I'm not too proud to admit that I'm still confused here."

He turned away from me as he began talking. "I had to know that you weren't going to read too much into my invitation and you passed."

My head was spinning....badly. "Sorry, but I'm still really confused."

"I kissed you to see if you'd think that my inviting you on Friday and then having dinner with me just now meant that I expected more, or if you thought it entitled you to more." His tone was even, business-like. "I needed to make sure that you could keep things professional between us, no matter what."

"And you just felt like kissing me was the way to do it?"

"It's definitely better than you assuming there's more to showing up at an event on my arm than looking pretty in a dress and keeping me from having to deal with gold diggers all night long." He then turned back to face me. "I could've just asked you, but you could've lied. When you want the truth, catching someone completely off guard is a good way to get it, Rey."

The concept made sense. Still....

"Isn't it a bit risky? Kissing an employee without even knowing how she'll react? I could go to HR with a complaint."

"But you won't," he said with the voice of someone who knew what he was talking about. "I know that you won't."

"How are you so sure about that?"

"Well, you didn't go to them when I first asked you to come with me," he pointed out.

"Kissing me is a little different than taking me a company event."

One side of his mouth tipped up into that half-smile again, but his eyes were guarded. "I'm not the most patient man. I could have waited to see how things played out, but I prefer things ahead of time. Kissing you was the best way to figure that out."

If I'd had any sort of attraction or romantic notions toward Kylo, I know that I might've been hurt by his matter-of-fact way of looking at things, but I didn't want anything from him that I hadn't earned. He had made sure of that.

"Now that we're both clear on what we both want, there shouldn't be anything else from keeping you from accompanying on Friday evening."

He was right. Technically. And if he was looking at this as a business thing, then I could too. I could make a lot of contacts. See how things worked at events like this.

"Okay, fine." I said, folding my arms. "I'll go with you."


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven_

_Kylo Ren_

I hadn't spoken with Rey since she left my office Monday evening. Once she'd agreed to go with me on Friday, we'd said goodnight, and she's gone on her merry way. I'd called up the security cameras to watch her through the building and wished that i had the insane ability to follow her all the way to the subway. She claimed to have had some self-defense training, and she was a native New Yorker, but if she'd been _my_ woman, she wouldn't have been taking the subway alone at night.

Hell, I didn't like the idea of it even as her employer. People were _fucking_ crazy these days. A cute thing like her, would be easy prey for some weird-ass psycho.

There wasn't really anything more that I could do to prevent her from getting around the way that she wanted to, but I could something about the rumors at work. People would indeed talk as she had said, that wasn't going to change.

However, I could send out a company-wide email using Rose's suspension as an example of what would happen to the people caught gossiping about their co-workers or their bosses--but I knew that would only make the matters much worse. But what I could do was find out the main source of the rumors and handle it on that end of things.

After all, every employee sighed a contract that contained certain clauses about acceptable and unacceptable behavior while on the job. I hadn;t been talking out of my ass when I's suspended Rose Tico.

I had legal grounds to take action against any employee I saw fit who violated the terms of their contract. It wouldn't have been the first time I'd have to fire someone for....speaking inappropriately nor did I think it would be the last either.

"I understand that there have been some rumors going about one of your co-workers engaging in less-than-ethical behavior in the office." I leaned back in my chair and leveled my gaze at Evelyn Smith. Evelyn worked down in the mailroom and did deliveries, which she went to each floor and to each employee.

If anyone was going to hear rumors being spread and have an idea of where they started, it's be people in the mailroom.

"I don't gossip, you know that, Mr. Ren. I mind my own damn business." Evelyn held up her hands, her eyes wide. "Seriously, most people don't even talk to me unless they need something." 

"Relax, you're not in trouble," I said. "I just need your ears. I want to know what you've heard regarding about a young woman in the A&R department?"

"Rose?" The tips of his ears went pink. 

"And what did you hear about her?" I asked. He looked down at his hands. "Evelyn, I need to know what's going on in my company. What have you heard?"

"I heard that Rose was talking to Rey about...." His voice trailed off. When I didn't fill in the silence, he continued, "about you, Mr. Ren. She was talking about you dating and....all that. Then you came in and yelled at the both of them."

So, she was accurate so far. But I needed more. A lot more.

"Anything else?" I asked. 

"I also heard she was suspended for two weeks without pay."

Okay no-so-accruate. "Who told you that last bit?"

"Um, i think it was Clara. She and Rose were interns together. She's a receptionist down in the main lobby."

Shit. If Rose had a friend in the lobby also spreading rumors, they could reach much further than if she was isolated in a particular department. But, that also supported my suspicions that the orgin of the rumors Rey had been worried about was the exact same person who'd been spreading the gossip in the first place. 

"What else have you heard?"

I watched as she shifted in her seat. Damn, she was twitchy. "I heard that the other girl, Rey, she didn't get into trouble even though she was doing the exact same thing as Rose." 

"That's what you heard? That Rey was saying the same exact things as Rose?"

Evelyn nodded empathically, relief on her face. "I'm not saying anything to anyone about what I overheard. You have to believe me, Mr. Ren. Just because I heard it doesn't mean that I'm saying it to other people."

I held up my hand, silencing her. "Relax. I believe you. I just need to know about what people are saying around here. Have you heard anything about why Rey wasn't suspended?"

"I-I....Mr. Ren, I really don't want to say what they are."

I leaned forward in my seat, eyes narrowed and glaring. "You don't want to say it because the rumors are that I either requested or Rey offered me sexual favors in exchange for not being suspended." The quick glance she got at me told me the answer, but I still wanted her to say it so that it was clear I wasn't making an assumption. "You won't get in trouble for telling me the truth. I don't shoot the messenger."

"Yes," he mumbled.

"I'm going to need you to speak up a little there, Evelyn."

Clearly uncomfortable, she cleared her throat. "Yes, Mr. Ren, that's what the rumors are. That Rey...." His face then flooded with colors. "That she did....you know."

"Tell me, did you hear this rumor from a lot of different places, or only one or two?"

"I heard it in a few places," she said. "but everyone I heard talking about it is from the same group of friends."

Oh, now we were getting somewhere. I knew it shouldn't take me too long now to discover the source, and when I did, those who were behind it were going to see how truly cruel I could be. If they couldn't keep their mouths shut, they had no business in my company....period.

"Would these happen to be friends of Rose Tico's?" I asked.

As a kid, I'd had a time where I'd seriously thought about going into the law enforcement, but I'd definitely learned since that I never could've stayed within all of those law myself. Like how, if this had been some sort of trial, I'd have been accused of leading the witness.

I'd suspected Rose of being the source of the gossip and everything that I was hearing from Evelyn supported that. I wouldn't need anything else after all.

"They are," Evelyn said. "And..." Her face took on a pained expression as she twisted her fingers together."

"Please, do go on," I said.

"They've been talking badly about Rey on other stuff, too. About how it took Rose so long to work her way up to assistant but it didn't take Rey long at all."

A flare of sudden anger sparked within me. No one in my company received underserved promotions. Not only was it an insult to Rey, but it was a direct insult to me and the business that I'd worked so hard to build. She gave me a paused about taking Rey this weeked, but I knew if I did that after inquiring about these rumors, it would look suscopis either way.

Best to take care of things this way. My way, in fact. 

"All right," I said as i stood. I held out a hand to Evelyn. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I greatly appreciate it."

She shook my hand, her eyes darting everywhere, and the moment I released her, she hurried away without another look back. I crossed to the door and closed it even though i planned to leave in a bit.

I needed a few minutes to calm myself down. I wasn't stupid enough to think that my employees didn't gossip about each other and about me, and while I'd been angry enough to hear what Rose had said about me, her talking about Rey had been too much. I'd known women who used sex to get what they wanted.

In fact, pretty much every women that I'd ever met was that way. But Rey wasn't. Anyone who'd ever had a conversation with her could see that she was truly a hard worker who'd never take shortcuts, let alone use sex to manipulate someone.

There were limits as to what I could do, but I planned in doing what I could. I sent off emails I needed to answer and finished up the last things that I needed to do for the day, then let my receptionist know that I'd be leaving. Anything important could be sent directly to my cell. I could have waited until Rose came back on Monday to call her into my office, but I didn't even want her in my building again.

I didn't want her spreading that shit around anymore. I couldn't stop her from talking to her friends outside of this building, but I could control at least her presence here, and I intended to do it. 

I immediately pulled up her file and out her address into my cell phone. It was time to pay Rose Tico a visit and terminate her employment.

I stared out of the window as my driver dealt with the traffic. I really hated this time of the year. Sometimes we had sun and warmth, but most of the time, the weather was dreary and wet, hovering at a temperature that could be snow one minute and rain the next. Today was rain, melting away the last bit of snow and slush that had come in last week's storm.

It was supposed to freeze overnight, but then temperatures would be going up, though not too much. That would be good for the event this weekend. Too cold and people would stay home. Too warm and people wouldn't want to be indoors. 

I didn't even need to wonder if Luke and Amylin had seen the weather. They kept three or four weather sites running in the background of their desktops and on their laptops just so they'd never be caught unaware. Granted, weather predictions wasn't always accurate, but it was better than nothing. 

"Do you want me to find a place to park, Mr. Ren?"

I saw the apartment building in front of us and glanced at the lock. He'd made pretty good time, considering. "No, I shouldn't be too long."

"I'll circle the block then," he said as he pulled up to the curb.

I nodded and stepped out into the rain. I pressed the button next to Tico's, rolling my eyes at the sugar-sweet voice that came over the intercom just as soon as I said my name. I didn't even bother with the elevator, jogging up the stair to reach the second floor.

I headed down the hall, wondering what Rose was probably thinking. I'd simply given my name, not why I was here. Going to someone's house to fire them wasn't exactly normal, but she'd almost sounded happy to know that it was me. Maybe she thought I as coming over to offer her the same thing she'd accused me of offering Rey.

My gut said if I did tell her I'd end her suspension in exchange for sex, she'd accept it, no questions asked. Everything I'd learned about Rose over the last two days told me she was going after Rey because she was jealous.

I didn't know for certain that her jealousy extended to me, but my guy said that Rose was the sort of petty person who'd always think she was entitled to whatever the hell she wanted, and if anyone else had more, she desired them for it.

She opened her door before I even had the chance to knock, and judging by what she was wearing and how out of breath she was, she'd changed her clothes and then made a rude for the door. Unless she always lounged around her house in a mini-skirt and halter top.

"Mr. Ren, please come in," She gave me what I supposed she meant to be a seductive smile. "Or should I call you Kylo instead?"

"This won't take long." I ignored her question and tapped on the video icon of my cell phone. "First, and foremost, I need to make you aware that I'm videotaping this whole conversation." Her gaze dropped to my hand, but she didn't say anything. "And secondly, after conducting an inquiry into some work behavior that went against my company's guidelines, I'm here to inform you that your suspension has now become a termination."

Her jaw dropped to the floor. "WHAT?!"

"You're fired, Miss Tico," I said. "Your things will be shipped to you, and you shouldn't expect a letter of recommendation from me anytime soon."

"You can't do that to me!" she sputtered.

I didn't even bother to dignify that with a response. I simply turned and walked back down the stairs while she cursed at me. Even as I tapped the phone's screen to end the video, I didn't care. She was done. 

Security had an email telling them to keep an eye out for her, and her badge had been deactivated. One problem not taken care of. Now, I just had my 'date' to look forward to.


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter Twelve_

_Rey Kenobi_

I'd thought that meeting Kylo at Manhattan Records before the event would make this feel like less of a date. I'd also assumed that it'd make me less nervous because I'd be able to psych myself up on the way. I was also thinking that the less time the two of us spent just the two of us, the better off I'd be. I'd had lots of thoughts, though.

I hadn't, however, thought that taking the subway in a dress and heels would be so damn problematic, either. I wasn't earing anything majorly expensive, but the floor-length, off the shoulder dress was far from work wardrobe. 

For my ride home, I'd have to either call a cab or see if Kylo would be kind enough to take me. I wasn't getting harassed or anything, but I very much doubted i'd feel like standing in these hells on my way home later tonight. And there was no way in hell I was gong to sit in this dress.

I may have found it at a thrift store, but that didn't mean it wasn't the nicest dress that I owned.

By the time I reached Manhattan Records, I was literally shivering, my thin wrap not doing much to keep out the March wind. Despite that, the moment I stepped into the lobby, Kylo frowned, and I was tempted to turn right around and go back to my apartment.

Then he shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and draped it over my shivering shoulders. "Did you seriously walk all the way here?"

I shook my heat at him, snuggling into the thick material's warmth. "I took the subway. It was a little chillier than I'd imagined it would be tonight."

"You know I would have sent a car," he said, sounding rather annoyed with me. "Or at least I could've just picked you up at your place."

"How about this, I'll take you up on that for the homeward journey," I said. "I've learned my lesson, trust me."

Heat suddenly flared into his dark brown eyes. "Oh, have you now?"

I shivered again, but it had very little to do with the temperature outside. He might've said that kissing me was his way out of determining whether or not I'd read too much into tonight, but the way he looked at me made me think there was at least some physical attraction there. 

Or maybe I as thinking too much into it and he simply got off on making his female employees bend to his will. A noise behind us caught my attention, and I looked back to see a security guard looking away in a hurry. Probably hoping that the boss wouldn't catch him eavesdropping. 

I just hoped he wouldn't be sharing any of this with his so called "co-workers" tomorrow. Then again, I'd heard that Kylo had been asking an awful lot of questions about people spreading rumors.

Yeah, that rumor about a rumor, but maybe what he was really trying to do was to keep his employees from talking about things that had nothing whatsoever to do with them.

"My driver just pulled up," Kylo said as he tucked his cell phone back into his pocket, lingering by my side long enough for me to absorb the fresh smell of sandalwood that clung to him even more than it did to the jacket.

"Here, you can have this back now," I said quietly. "I'm warm enough now."

"Just keep it for now," he said. "We're getting ready to go outside. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

I didn't point out that the distance from the doors to the car I could see waiting for us was barely more than a yard or two away. Instead, I let him out a hand on my back and lead me to the car where he opened the door for me.

When he slid next to me, he kept space between our bodies, but something still crackled between the two of us.

"I'm not expecting you to touch me." The words flew out of me before I could even check myself.

"What's that?" He gave me a look that seemed to say that he wasn't sure if he should be amused or offended. 

"I mean there's no dancing at the party, so other than general niceties, you won't need to touch me," I attempted to clarify, but didn't quite get my meaning out. "What you said before about my expectations. I just want you to know that I'm not expecting you to touch me like we're a couple or something. Or even like we're on a date."

Okay, I could see this wasn't working so why was my mouth still moving? I just kept making things worse. He angled himself toward me, as if he wanted to see me better for this conversation. "So, are you telling me to keep my hands to myself?"

I flushed a deep crimson in the cheeks. "Not those specific words....but yes, that's the general sentiment."

"And what if I don't want to?"

It could have sounded like a threat, but it didn't. More like he was truly curious about what my answer would be if he decided that he wanted tonight to be more hands on than hands off. This was not how I'd imagined any conversation going tonight.

"If that's what you choose to do with the other women who aren't apart of your company, then that's your business, but I, um...I....shit." I clapped my hand over my mouth, absolutely mortified that I'd actually cursed in front of my boss.

He just laughed, the sound far more sensual than any laugh had a right to be. "Don't worry, Rey. This may be for work, but I think you'll find that I'm a little more lax about the things I expect of employees at events like this than I would be if we were going to a fundraiser or something of that sort." He gave me another one of those charming smile of his. "Though, I do ask that you attempt to keep the cursing to a minimum." He added with a wink.

"Does that meant that you are going to keep all the flirting to a minimum?" I shot back, more than a little shocked by my sudden boldness.

Fortunately, Kylo didn't appear to be bothered by it. If anything, he looked rather impressed by the fact that I'd spoken up. "I make no immediate promises."

I should've turned the conversation serious, made sure that he knew that I wasn't joking when I said that I wanted him to keep his hands to himself, but there was a small part of me that kept arguing that he might not have been the only one who wanted to touch....

I gave myself a myself a mental shake. No more talking, Rey. If I couldn't keep myself from saying stupid stuff, I wouldn't say anything at all.

If he asked me a question, I'd answer just to be polite, but nothing more than that. He'd have no reason to complain, but neither of us were here to flirt. Maybe it was only because we were in a car together with nothing else to do. When we arrived at the event and Kylo had to be in complete CEO mode, he maintain professional distance.

I could've believed that if he hadn't been just as inappropriate in his office after suspending Rose. That reminded me of a question I'd been meaning to ask him, but I wasn't sire of now was the right time to do it.

Rumors that been flying at work yesterday and today that Rose's suspension had turned into a termination.

That Kylo had actually shown up to Rose's place had fired her because she wouldn't sleep with him. I didn't believe the second part, if Kylo had really wanted to sleep with Rose, he wouldn't have waited three whole days to make that demand.

I just didn't know if it the rest of it was true, and if so, what had prompted the firing. There was another set of rumors going around as well, much quieter than the others.

Rumors that said Kylo had been questioning people about gossip because of what had happened with Rose and me, and that he was taking a hardline stance on any sort of personal gossip in the office. And that this stance was the reason for Rose's termination.

These thoughts kept me preoccupied until we pulled up to the venue at one of New York's swankier hotels. I put all of that out of my mind as Kylo got out of the car and turned around to offer me a hand. 

I reminded myself that he was simply being polite and accepted. When he tucked my arm around his to escort me into the building, I told myself the same thing. I didn't believe it anymore then that I had the first time around. 


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Thirteen_

_Kylo Ren_

Once inside, I let go of Rey long enough to retrieve my jacket. Some press had been outside, and I had no doubt they'd have a field day with the fact that I'd arrived with a woman wearing what was obviously my jacket, but now that we were inside, she'd be warm enough with her wrap.

Besides, she'd had time to warm up in the car. I still couldn't believe she'd taken the subway in that dress. My blood ran cold at the thought of what could have happened to her....and than that ran hot at the thought of men who'd seen her. 

If she'd been mine, I'd have taken her straight up to my office and spanked her ass until it was red and she felt it any time that she moved. 

No one out something of mine in danger, no matter who they were. However, she wasn't mine, though, which meant my only option was to make certain that she got home okay tonight. 

"There's going to be a lot of press," I said as I smoothed out the lines of my jacket. "Don't answer anything, even if you think you know the answer. Luke's here so he'll be fielding any A&R questions."

"Am I allowed to say my name, or would that be giving away too much information?"

I laughed even though, I should have snapped at her to take this seriously. No woman I'd taken to something like this had questioned this much. Rey continued to surprise me, and for some strange reason, I liked it.

"They're going to try and find out who you are," I said. "As soon as they know you're a Manhattan Records employee, they'll start making assumptions, and there are a few of them who'll print whatever they think, no matter what evidence there is to the contrary."

"Isn't that libel?" I asked.

"It is," I said, impressed that she knew the difference between libel and slander. "I have an attorney on retainer to take care of little issues like that. He insists that it's better to be proactive and prevent stories rather than being reactive and trying to minimize the damage."

"Well, that makes sense," she said. "I'll ignore the questions." 

I held out my arm again, and she tucked her arm around it, making me wonder if she was truly averse to my touch....or if she just didn't like how she reacted to it. How far could I push her to find out? Walking like this was her touching me through two layers of my clothes, plus it was the gentlemanly thing to do.

Were either of those reasons behind her willingness to take my arm? I had no problem continuing to be a gentleman in public, but there were plenty of ways that I could maintain that and still test my theory. If nothing else, it would be a challenge and would keep me entertained instead of the night dragging on endlessly as it usually did at events like this.

In that curve-hugging dress, she would've been quite a distraction on her own, and I found myself glancing down at her as we made our way into the ballroom, appreciating the way she looked. 

"We'll make a round before everything kicks off, just to make sure there's nothing that needs my immediate attention. At some point, Luke will check in with me, and when i give him the go ahead, he'll get things started. Dinner will be last."

"I wondered if you did anything at these events," she said, looking around, her wide eyes sweeping the elegant room.

"So you've been thinking about me, then?" I winked at her. She was so easy to flirt with.

"I've been doing my job," she countered. "A job that involved working with Mr. Skywalker and Ms. Holdo to plan this event. I probably know as much about it as they do."

She said it in such a matter-of-fact kind of way that I knew it wasn't her being arrogant. She was the A&R assistant after all, and that meant she'd probably done a lot of research and made most of the calls checking the time and the like. If she hadn't seen my name on much, it made sense that she would wonder what I actually did at these events.

"A great leader knows how to hire great people," I said. "Delegation is key."

She glanced up at me. "Did they teach you those sort of clichés at business school?"I

I nodded. "At night classes to me precise."

My answer surprised a laugh out of her, and her entire face lit up. I'd never seen anything like it. Unfortunately, we were interrupted before I could make her laugh again.

Stockholders, journalists, photographers...person after person approached to make small talk and ask questions, and all the while Rey was sweet, charming--and silent--on my arm. It didn't feel like she was checking out, though, merely being arm candy because I'd told her not to answer questions.

The intelligence I'd see in her eyes and heard in the way she spoke told me that she was probably one of the smartest people in the room. And I considered myself more intelligent than most. I had a feeling she was absorbing everything around her, sorting through it, categorizing it.

I couldn't wait to get her impressions of this entire night. It had been a long time since I'd seen any of this through new eyes, and I had a feeling that her eyes would be seeing things I missed.

She'd be able to give Luke, Amylin, and me insight into the things she thought worked and those that didn't.

Being irrelevant was death in this industry, and we needed to stay on our toes at all times. She'd certainly help with that for sure.

"Well, look at you."

A sudden jolt of anger went straight through me, but years of self-control kept me from showing it. I retained my plastic smile and slowly turned around to face the last person that I wanted to see here right now.

"Jyn. You managed to find a way in, after all."

My ex gave me the saucy grin that had preceded so many of our trysts, but it did absolutely nothing but turn my stomach now. Her eyes narrowed as they left me and fell on Rey, pure venom was in that gaze of hers and I hated it. 

"Who's this?" The words were practically a snarl. 

"Now, now, Jyn, dear." The older man standing next to her patted the hand on his arm. "You should really be nice to the CEO responsible for tonight's party."

"Good to see you too, Bradley," I said mildly. 

"Kylo."

"Who. Is. She." Jyn spoke between gritted teeth.

"Rey Kenobi," Rey answered with a smile that didn't look any more real than mine did.

Jyn's eyes flickered over Rey once and then turned back to me, clearly dismissing her as no competition. Because that's how Jyn would see another woman on my arm. Competition for my affections. As if I'd needed a woman at my side to have wanted to break things off with her.

Further confirmation that Jyn had never understood how I thought. None of this was really all that surprising to me, though.

"Would you mind getting me something to drink, Bradley?" Jyn practically purred.

"You can go with him," I suggested. "I have other people to talk to, Jyn." 

Jyn wiggled her fingers at her date--one who happened to be one of New York's bluest bloods who enjoyed rubbing elbows with those in the music industry---but never took her eyes off of me.

Her voice was low. "Send her on her way, Kylo, and the two of us can find a little private space to have some fun. Or maybe a little public space. We can invite some people to watch. I know how much you like that."

I felt Rey release my arm, and I knew that she was walking away, but I didn't look back after her. I needed to take care of Jyn before anything else was said.

I couldn't let her make a scene, not here, not tonight. I was in charge, and she needed to understand that even though we weren't together, my control still mattered. All she was going was making it more obvious that I never should have been involved with her in the first place.

"I'm going to say this once, so listen up," I said firmly. "Stay the fuck way from me. Keep your mouth shut. If you make a scene here, your career is over. I will use every single contact that I have to backball your ass from here L.A.. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." she replied, though I could tell from that devilish grin, she didn't mean it.

That was the thing with Jyn, she was a fire-cracker and always got what she wanted, even when the things she wanted didn't want her back. Rey didn't deserve that. I didn't deserve that. And I wasn't about to let her ruin my evening by any means.


	14. Chapter 14

_Chapter Fourteen_

_Rey Kenobi_

I'd known that tonight was going to be awkward when I saw people who knew me, and i'd known that Kylo had a long list of previous lovers, but i hadn't anticipated those two things coming togeher for one massively embarassing scene.

If Kylo wanted to leave with another woman, then that was his prerogative. I wasn't his girlfriend, he wasn't my boyfriend, and this wasn't a date.

Still, I didn't want to be present when he made that decision. I'd put up with people like that woman my whole life, and most of the time, I'd been the bigger person. Sometimes, to do that, I'd had to walk away, which was what I'd done a few minutes ago.

Now, I put together a plan of action. I wouldn't be the sort of woman who'd wander around, trying to act as if I wasn't searching for a date who'd disappeared with someone else. I'd get myself a drink and linger at the bar, looking for Mr. Skywalker. Since he was my boss, I could play it off as work-related to anyone who might wonder what I was doing.

I'd make some small talk with him, and if I hadn't spotted Kylo by the time we were called to dinner, I'd assume he wasn't looking for me and call a cab.

Maybe I could even get home before it was too late and be able to finish up the book I'd been reading. Getting out of these stupid heels would be a relief, honestly. It was moments like this when I wondered if I was really cut out to be in the A&R department. Sure, I was great with the organizational part of things, but I didn't necessarily mind talking tp people as I worked out these details, but this aspect of the job didn't particularly appeal to me.

Small talk. Schmoozing. Pretending to be interested when I clearly wasn't. Yes, i could do it, but that didn't mean that I liked it. The real question here was if I disliked it enough to change my career path.

I checked my reflection one last time in the mirror, rank my pinky finger along the bottom in a attempt to smooth out my lip gloss. I hadn't come in here to cry or anything like that, but I didn't want anyone to think that's why I'd left in the first place. Any reapplication of makeup would only fuel that rumor mill.

It'd be a toss-up if the gossip would be tears or sex---maybe both.

I'd only gone down half a dozen steps down the corridor before stopping abruptly when someone stepped in front of me.

"Hello there, sugar-cake."

I recognized his voice immediately. "Mr. Hux," I said politely. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"Just call me, Armitage, sugar-cakes," he said as he leered at me with those cold, icy-blue eyes of his. "And you are?"

I knew Armitage Hux was in his mid-thirties, but he looked at least ten years older. Red-flaming hair with more gel-product than should have been legal. Blood-shot eyes with pupils almost big enough to completely obliterate the blue irises. A lean body that had a scrawny, unhealthy appearance.

The smell of alcohol was almost overwhelming, but my gut said he wasn't simply drunk. No track marks were on his arms, but in college, I'd written a paper on the drug epidemic, and I'd learned that a lot of junkies would shoot up between their toes to hide their nasty habits. He was no exception. 

"I'm Rey Kenobi from the A&R department." I might've been introducing myself, but I as also making sure that he knew that I was here strictly for the record label _only_.

I didn't consider myself a cynic by any means, but I also wasn't naïve enough to think that someone who might be a decent enough guy when sober couldn't be something else entirely when drunk and completely high off of their ass, either.

"So, are you one of my perks?" He moved closer to me, licking his lips. "It's nice to know that Luke-boy knows what side his butter's breaded on."

"Actually, no I'm not a _perk_ , Mr. Hux." I kept my tone professional, not giving any indication as to my opinion regarding his requests. "I happen to be Luke Skywalker's personal assistant."

Armitage laughed. "And here I thought he was a fag. Must not be if he's banging you."

My hands curled into fits down at my side, but I maintained my clam, cool and collect demeanor. "If you'll just excuse me...." I took a step to the side, hoping to walk around him, but he moved with me, closing the distance between us even more. I didn't like this, not at all.

"What do you say we go find your boss and then have him give me the key to my band's room?" He stared down the front of my dress, not evening bothering to try and hide what he was doing. "I get first dibs, but they're all going to love to get a piece of you."

"No, thanks. I'm not interested." My jaw protested how tightly I was gritting my teeth, but I didn't plan on losing my temper over some drunk asshole's assumptions. Especially a drunk asshole who brought in a lot of money for my employer.

I moved around him and it made it about two more steps before he grabbed hold of my arm. And then he grabbed hold of my ass. I quickly twisted out of his grasp and grabbed the hand that was on my ass. Even in a evening dress, I was fast enough ti get his arm behind his back, his wrist on its way to meet his shoulder blades.

He bent backwards to try and take the pressure off and succeeded only in putting him closer to my height so that I could get better leverage.

"You fucking bitch! Get your bitching hands off me!" He struggled, but despite out height difference, his body wasn't in any shape or form to defend itself. "Dammit! Do you know who I am?! Fucking Armitage Hux! Dup Lipa's manager! That's me!"

I'd reacted instinctively to his unwanted touch, but not that I had him off of me, I wasn't entirely sure what do next. The scenarios of my self-defense classes had gone through had been about attackers in parking lots, alleys, and on the streets, in bars or clubs. Places where the answer was simply getting away as soon as possible.

Nothing in those classes had prepared me for what to do when a powerful guest at a fancy party when and grabbed hold of my ass.

"Let me go! You motherfucking son of a bitch whore...."

"Come on now, Armitage. You're just strining a bunch of curses together, and that's not going to get you anywhere." Kylo's voice was mild as he entered the aclove. "Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"Tell the little bitch to let me go!"

Shit! I immediately released him and moved back a few steps. I didn't think Kylo would actually let Armitage hit me, but I wasn't eager to find out either. 

"What happened?" Kylo asked again. His gaze landed on me and held.

"That little fucking cunt about messed up my arm, that's what happened?" Armitage cradled his wrist like I'd caused some serious permanent damage. The worse at least a bruise or two. 

I could've just done that. I knew exactly how. I'd purposefully held back though, I didn't doubt for a minute that if I'd truly hurt him, I wouldn't get into trouble for it. 

"You know, that's not really the best way to speak to a lady, Armitage."

If I hadn't seen the hard glint in his eyes or the way his jaw clenched, I might've thought he was entertained by this whole thing. A woman taking down a grown-ass man with her bare hands, yeah, that's definitely something to get a good kick out of, no doubt.

"I came here to take a piss and this bit...this _girl_ was all over me. Wanted me to fucking do her in the bathroom. I turned her down politely, and then she got all fema-Nazi on me!"

What the actual fuck?! Was I seriously being blamed _again_ for something I hadn't done? Did I have some sort of _scapegoat_ written on my damn forehead and no one bothered to even tell me?! Last time, I'd defended on my own lack of participation but hadn't blamed anyone else. While I hadn't been suspended, I'd still ended up here and had rumors circulating about me, no matter the measures.

Kylo had been trying to put into place. No way in hell was I going to let Armitage Hux make things worse for me. And definitely not about this.

I considered myself a level-headed person, not easily angered, but my good nature had been practically worn down to practically nothing this week.

"That's not---"

"I need to speak with Miss Kenobi alone." Kylo then grabbed my hand and practically all but dragged me past the bathroom and into a small room that looked like it might be a place where employee interviews were held. "Sit." he ordered.

I sat, more to take the pressure off of my aching feet than wanting to obey him. If he was going to fire me, at least I'd be able to go home like I wanted. After considering how awful my week had been, anyways, I was half-tempted to ask him to let me go just so that I didn't have to deal with it anymore.

When he shut the door behind him, I knew that this was it. That sinking feel rose in the pit of my stomach as I looked up to meet his gaze. I was done.


	15. Chapter 15

_Chapter Fifteen_

_Kylo Ren_

It had taken every ounce of self-control that i had not to explode right there in the alleway. After I'd managed to get Jyn to leave me alone, I'd headed off in the direction that I'd seen Rey walking off to. She needed to know that I hadn't gone off with Jyn and that I had no plans to. When i was with a woman, I didn't leave her to have sex with someone else, not unless the two of us had an arrangement regarding additional partners.

Rey and I didn't even have anything like that because we weren't even a couple, but I still wanted her to know that I'd come here to the party with her and I'd leave it with her.

And then I'd seen Rey standing behind Armitage, twisting the manager's arm behind is back, a look of absolute furry on her face. And something inside me snapped. Now, she was sitting across from her, hazel eyes flashing, and face flushed. 

She was still very angry, but she was trying her hardest to reign it in. Such amazing control. 

It made me begin to wonder just how far I could push, how long it would take for me to break that control and see what was hiding underneath. Or would this be enough to finally break her?

"Rey, I want you to tell me what happened," I demanded. I loomed over her, doing my very best to intimidate her into telling me the truth. "And don't lie to me. I'll know if you do."

She slowly looked up at me, her emotions playing across her face to fast for me to even identify them, but I hoped that fear was in the mix of it all. Just as soon as I thought it, I instantly regretted it, and that disturbed me. I never cared if anyone was afraid of me. I'd never hit anyone who didn't deserve it, but being able to intimidate people was a rather handy skill.

I needed her to tell me the truth, and if she was scared that I'd fire her, then at least I knew she'd be honest, which was what I wanted. I just hoped that she wouldn't cry.

I only knew how to handle non-sex related tears, and that was to kick the woman out. That wasn't exactly an option here. Except, she surprised me yet again. She didn't cry---not a single tear.

Her voice was flat and matter-of-fact as she spoke, "I came out of the restroom and Armitage was there. I simply greeted him, told him that I worked in the A&R department. I could tell that he was drunk and probably high as well, so I ignored his calling me "sugar-cakes."

The mad look on her face would've made me laugh if I wasn't pissed at what she was telling me.

"Armitage then asked me if I was one of the "perks" he'd told Luke--I mean, Mr. Skywalker--he wanted."

My uncle and I were definitely going to have a long discussion about these so called 'perks; and what we would or wouldn't want in the future at these events. I didn't believe for a minute that Luke had provided women for Armitage Hux and the rest of his little bandwagon of friends, but we were going to make it abundantly clear to all of our future artists the sort of things we wouldn't have available to them.

Rey continued, "And when I told him that I wasn't a perk but rather Mr. Skywalker's personal assistant, he mad a rather crude assumption about my role as whole within the company, and then he suggested that we get a hotel room key so he and his band could all get "a little piece of me."

I bit back an immediate low growl. The idea of the entire bandwagon of Hux and his friends and Rey...no. Just no.

"I turned him down and then tried to walk around him," Her mouth flattened into a very thing line. "He grabbed a hold of my arm, and then he went and grabbed my...butt."

 _Oh hell no!_ She'd clearly told him that she wasn't interested in him. That was so far over the line....

"So I used what I had learned in my self-dense classes to get out of his grip and put him into a position of submission."

The word rolled off her tongue and flipped that sudden switch inside me that was definitely not work friendly. I wrestled with it back into the place where I kept it when I needed to be professional. And in this case, I definitely needed to be just that....professional. 

"That son of a bitch," I said, my voice low as I turned my head away. I paced, continuing to talk to myself as if she wasn't there. "This is needs to be dealt with immediately. We can't condone this. I always knew that he was a lecherous bastard, but that's too far. He had went too far."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you agree with me."

I turned back toward Rey, something about the way she spoke, the earnest quiet of her statement, touched that protective part of me. "You haven't lied to me yet. Armitage and I have a rocky history. A history that already made me suspect that he was lying all along."

"But yet you signed him." She seemed calmer now, more in control of herself. "Dua Lipa was the first platinum artist Manhattan Records had, if I'm remembering it correctly."

I nodded. "Yes, to both. Armitage was just as much of an asshole back then too as he is today."

"Then I would ask why you even agreed to sign him, but I think I already know the answer to that question?"

"You do?" My insides immediately froze up. What could she possibly know about my past with Hux.

"Rock stars, and famous singers are supposed to make headlines, and Armitage being who he is, he does that. He makes headlines. Which, therefore makes you money."

Right. Money. As if I cared about any of that right now.

"But he went too far this time, Rey."

I said it directly to her face because I needed her to understand something, not only did I fully believe her, but that I also didn't approve of what Armitage had done to her or almost done. Sure, I'd kissed her without giving her any warning, but as soon as she had said _no,_ I immediately backed off. Armitage, however, didn't. That was the different between us.

"I'm glad you think so," she said. "Because a lot of men these days don't."

"I'm going to take care of this." My anger finally bled through my words. I was majorly pissed off and it showed. 

The more I thought about Armitage putting his hands on Rey, the angrier that I got. The control that I had was quickly slipping, and that never happened to me. What was it about this woman sitting before me that made me to only end Armitage's contract but also knock out some of his teeth in the process? As a Dom, I'd always been very protective of what was mine until I decided that I didn't want it anymore, but Rey wasn't mine.

She had never been mine. We'd barely interacted. Had a single, brief kiss, that's it. But I wanted to protect her. No, more than wanted to. I was going to.

And I wasn't simply going to just protect her. I was going to punish Armitage for laying his hands on a woman who didn't want him. Just like I would've done for any other woman....but harder because the woman was mine. No, not mine. 

I looked down at her, and my stomach clenched tightly. Mine?

"What are you going to do, Kylo?" Rey came over to stand next to me.

"Don't you worry about that, okay?" I hadn't fully decided yet, but my instincts told me to talk back out there, find Armitage, and punch him straight in the face.

"Please, tell me that you aren't going to do anything stupid, are you?"

She honestly seemed really concerned, and I wondered it was _for_ me or _about_ me. Did she really think that I'd make a scene and it'd be all her fault? It was impossible to figure out what she was thinking, and that wasn't something that I was used to.

"And why would you think that?" I asked her.

I then took a step towards the door, and she put her hand on my arm. I stopped, the pressure of her touch more arresting than anything she could've said to me in words. Heat flowed through me, diffusing the anger, changing it completely to something else----something more---arousing. I realized...I _wanted_ her. 

I wanted her lips, her taste, her body, all of it in my bed, in my arms. I wanted her like I never wanted another human being in my life. I _wanted_ my uncle's assistant. I _wanted_ Rey Kenobi. And I would take her anyway that I could have her, at least for tonight. I had managed to grow that desperate for her---how? That never happened to me. I was a man of control, complete control but with her---that seemed to vanish. 

"Please, Kylo, don't do anything rash," she pleaded. "At least not for me."

She was begging me and I could I deny her, especially with that look practically glowing in her soft eyes? Dammit, Ren, the master of rules, of arrangements finds himself slipping and breaking his down laws.

"Rey, you're really going to want to take a step back," I said as my gazed quickly moved from her hands up to her beautiful eyes. "Because if you keep your hand there, I swear, something is going to happen between the two of us and your not going to like it very much."


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter Sixteen_

_Rey Kenobi_

I wasn't sure when I figured out that Kylo wasn't going to fire me and that he wasn't even angry at me for what had happened, but when I did, when I realized that he was furious because of what Hux had done, it changed things for me. It completely changed the way I saw Kylo Ren. He wasn't perfect by any means, and there was still the fact that he was my boss's boss, but I could see now a side of him that I hadn't ever seen before.

A part of him that took care of his employees. Except something deep inside my gut said that wasn't all of it, that he wouldn't be getting this worked up just for any employee. 

I didn't want to know that or think that at all by any means. I especially didn't want to complicate things any more than they already were. Except it looked like it was too late to turn back the clock. I'd told him everything that had happened, and now he was talking about 'taking care' of Hux. All sorts of interpretations of that phrase alone ran through my mind, each one worse than the other.

And to think, when he'd first brought me into this room, I'd been worried sick about getting fired. Now, I was only concerned what Kylo was going to do something that he couldn't take back.

If he going into a fight with the manager of one his label's biggest artist, sure, he might be okay for a little while, but once he cooled off, he'd be furious with himself for losing his temper. And he might also be furious with me for giving him an excuse to fight. Sire, he was on my side now, but he'd been all over the place this week.

One minute he's ready to fire me, then the next he's asking me to come here. Kissing me. For all I knew he'd call me into his office on Monday morning and demand that I tell him the truth about what happened because Hux was being a jerk, but he wouldn't have taken things that far. At least, I don't think he would have.

Or maybe he wouldn't accuse me of being a lair, but would still find the means to blame me for everything.....

No. I wasn't going to overthink things and come up with all the ways things could go south. I needed time to think about the here and now, which meant I had to keep him from doing something incredibly stupid like punching a artist's manager in front of the press and everyone else.

I went over to stand next to him as I asked him what intended to do, hoping somehow, that my presence would maybe calm him, or at the very least distract him long enough.

I put my hand on his arm. "Please, Kylo, don't do anything rash. At least not for me."

""Rey, you're really going to want to take a step back." His voice was quiet, but not at all soft. ""Because if you keep your hand there, I swear, something is going to happen between the two of us and your not going to like it very much."

That should have made me back off in a hurry, and a part of me recognized that he was once again trying to scare me into letting him do whatever it was that he wanted to do. He'd tried that posturing earlier when he'd demanded to know what happened. I wasn't any more frightened now than I was then. Even though I didn't know what he might say or how he might act, I did knw one thing and that was that the fact that I wasn't afraid of him.

Well, not physically, anyways. He wasn't the sort of man who resorted to violence to get what he wanted.

If he was, I could think of several different times already where he could've used physical force on me. Even the times he'd touched me, I'd been able to feel how much he'd held back.

If I was being honest with myself, that was the pat of him that felt drawn to the most, and the reason for why my stomach was currently twisting in tight knots. I could move back, let him go do whatever while I got a ride back home, then text him to let him know where I'd gone.

He'd have the whole weekend to calm down, and the things could just go back to normal at work. Clean slate, problem solved and no one could be able to have the chance to gossip about what happened here tonight.

But I didn't want to do any of that. I wanted to distract him long enough to keep him from making a huge mistake that I knew he couldn't take back after he had done it, but more than that, I wanted to know just what he'd do next. Wanted to know what that _something_ was that he promised would happen between us.

I'd never been this curious about another person before, and that should have scared the hell out of me as much as any almost-threat he made towards me.

I left my hand exactly where it was, my eyes locked with his, waited just to see what he'd do next. Several seconds ticked by, and neither of us moved or said a word. The whole room was quiet....still. The party continued on without us. No came looking. Then he moved all at once.

His hand catching mine as he spun me around and pressed my back against the wall. I had but a few seconds to even register exactly what was happening, seconds to stop him if this wasn't what I wanted. What the hell was I thinking? Of course, I wanted this. I wanted him, otherwise I would've been waiting for nothing.

Instead, I tipped my head up, inviting him to kiss me, to see where this would lead us. Electricity zinged through me the moment our lips touched, scorching its way across my nerves, into my blood-stream. He devoured my mouth like a starving man, ever riber of his being focused solely on the way our lips moved together, the stroke of his tongue across mine.

His teeth bumped against mine, then latched onto my bottom lips, and I stifled out a low moan.

"Wanna touch you."

The words were a whisper so faint I couldn't tell if they were a request or a command, but either way, I consented. 

"Y-Yes, Kylo," I kissed his jaw, scraped my teeth across the skin that was that was there. "Yes, please."

His palm was hot like a iron as it pushed aside my skirt and traveled slowly up my leg to palm my ass, and then moved around until he cupped my sex. I pushed his jacket off and let my hands roam those massive broad shoulders and muscled torso. I itched terribly to touch him, skin on skin, and was tempted to tear his shirt off, but we had a party to get back to, and I doubted he'd really appreciate his buttons being wrenched off in such a forceful fashion.

The hand not lightly teasing me over my lace panties caught my chin and he held me in place as he mouth found me again.

His wadding hot tongue slid between my lips at the same time that a finger moved under the delicate lace silk that I wore. I gasped for breath as the pad of his index finger grazed over my clit, and he swallowed the sound. That one and all the others that I made as his fingers skillfully moved over that little bundle of nerves, driving me toward the powerful over-the-top climax that I could feel building up inside me.

Circles with just the right amount of pressure and then back and forth, a perfect rhythm designed to send me all but flying as quickly as possible.

All I could do was clutch his shoulders and accept the pleasure I was being given, so intense it almost hurt as it coursed through my whole entire body. Then before I knew it, I as cumming, shuddering as his talented fingers pushed me over to an orgasm and beyond.

My body then stiffened. Air stopped in my lungs. Teeth bit down on his bottom lip. Hands grabbed at his shirt until I was sure that it would literally tear in two. And yet still, he rubbed my swollen, throbbing clit, lighter now, coaxing me down from the brilliant white headspace of climax.

Holding my up until I could finally stand on my own. Saying not a single word as he moved my panties back into place then smoothed down the front of my dress.

And then moving away in a state of absolute shock as we both realized what we'd just done. The lines we'd crossed. The things we risked if anyone ever found about this....about us. But if I was being honest with myself, and most of the time I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret it.

And I didn't think that Kylo Ren---the mighty Kylo Ren could either.


End file.
